For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

Romans 12:3

Sweet friends, yesterday I shared this statement…

“Recently, it’s been pointed out to me that insecurity, self-doubt, and self-consciousness – issues I thought might be showing I was learning to be humble or at least less proud – are actually just pride in a sneaky disguise.”

…and Holy Spirit won’t let me let it go, which means God has more to be said on that point.

You see, we tend to think of pride in terms of arrogance. We say that someone is “too proud” to admit they are wrong or “too proud” to accept help. But, arrogance is just one end on the sliding scale of pride.

Right in the middle of the word “pride” is the letter “i” and that makes me think, anytime that “I” am in the middle of my focus, pride is most likely involved.

This means that even when I am feeling lowly, when I am drowning in self-doubt, picking at myself in self-consciousness, belittling myself or my abilities to others, I am actually being prideful, because “I” am in the middle of my focus.

Think of it this way.

If pride is a sliding scale, then arrogance is at one end and insecurity is at the other. Arrogance says “I know everything, am everything, can do everything” and acts out of self-confidence. Insecurity says, “I know nothing, am nothing, can do nothing” and acts of out self-loathing.

What’s the common element?

“I” and “self”.

All along the scale we find self-slander, self-doubt, self-consciousness, self-confidence, self-promotion, self-determination, and a myriad of other “selves”.

Dear heart, pride isn’t always thinking of yourself best; pride is also thinking of yourself most.

Romans 12:3 reminds us to think of ourselves with “sober judgement”. This means not using our emotions to evaluate ourselves, but instead using God’s truth. According to God’s Word, we are both sinner and saint; imperfect in our flesh yet made righteous in Christ Jesus. We are to put ourselves last and yet God says one day the last will be first. Having sober judgement of ourselves means we do not ride around on a high horse, but we also do not wallow in the mud.

Beloved, the sliding scale of pride is a slippery one. It’s pretty easy to get knocked off our pedestals and once we do, it’s a fast track down to the pit of self-loathing and self-despair.

How do we avoid this all too common phenomenon?

By taking “I” out of the equation.

By submitting “self” to God’s will and ways and Word and maintaining sober judgement of ourselves.

By humbling “self” before Almighty God and thinking of others’ interests before our own.