Day 65: 3/6/13- Seven Deadly Sins Week: Pride

Day 65: 3/6/13- Seven Deadly Sins Week: Pride       
New Thing- Make Humility Markers on My Arms    
Inspiration: Lent   
Time: All Day       
Bottom Line: "Self-love is a cup without any bottom, you might pour all the Great Lakes into it, and never fill it up." - Oliver Wendell Holmes

I know it is impossible to read but it says, "I am a Child of God Created in God's image"

Reflection: Well, today is the big one: pride. Here is the wikipedia definition of this vice:

In almost every list, pride (Latin, superbia), or hubris (Greek), is considered the original and most serious of the seven deadly sins, and the source of the others. It is identified as a desire to be more important or attractive than others, failing to acknowledge the good work of others, and excessive love of self (especially holding self out of proper position toward God). 

Yes, it is pride that is chief amongst sins because it pulls us away from our true identity as children of God. Pride enters in when we try to put ourselves in the place of God. In Paul’s Letter to the Philippians 2:5-11 where we read: 

“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. 
And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him 
and gave him the name that is above every name, 
so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 
and every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” 

In other words, because Jesus was willing to live and die as one of us and bore our sins for our salvation, so to should we empty ourselves of all of our pride and be made like him. This call to kenosis (or emptying) is indeed hard for us as humans to embrace. To paraphrase the great theological Karl Barth, humanity’s chief sin is always pride. We always try to put ourselves in control: in God’s place. Yet, what we see in Christ is that God’s way is to chose humility. He chose to put himself in our place. 

If pride then is a mark of us trying to step into God's place, humility becomes the mark--not of self devaluing--but of knowing who we truly are in relationship to God. So, in trying to embrace that kind of true self knowledge, I tried a little experiment today: I wrote two phrases on my arms that describe the balance that we must hold as created beings. The left arm bore the truth that "I am dust and to dust I shall return." My right arm bore the mystery that, "I am a Child of God created in God's image."  

Between these two statements hangs our true identifies: First, we are created beings that are finite. We are dust and dust can never be God. Yet, we are also created in God's image and loved as his children. This love calls to us even beyond our finitude into eternal life with him--not because we deserve it, as pride would have us believe. We receive this gift only because Jesus is worth it. Therefore if we boast of anything, let it be of Christ and his love for all.  

This exercise was very powerful. All day long, there were things to consider--"Would a child of God treat another Child of God the way you are about to treat this person in front of you?" "Are your choices in how you spent your time reflective of the precious gift that life is?" "Are you saying/doing things, Hillary, that are trying to show forth your glory only?" It was a very good thing to be "put-in-my place" when that place is my true God-give identity.