Pride Comes Before a Dent

I must not have been listening very intently to the recent sermon on Humility. Or if I was, I forgot to actually practice humility this week and now I have a dent in my car.

I’m usually such a great parallel-parker. At least I thought I was – which is what got me a little dent. I was so proud of myself the other night when I parallel parked a friend’s huge SUV in an awkward tight spot on a corner in just one try. I was so happy about it that I went and told another friend what a great job I had done and how good it made me feel.

The next day I was paralleling my own small little car, which is something I do often at least daily if not 3 or 4 times a day. When it comes to tight Seattle parking spots, I’m definitely an expert! Which is why I was so surprised that I crunched the side of my car into the bumper of truck as I was speedily, and pridefully, paralleling the day after feeling so great about my skills.

It didn’t take more than a few seconds for me to reflect back on the arrogant attitude I was sporting a day earlier and as I surveyed the minor damage to my car my face was hot with humiliation. I’d like to say here that I believe humility and humiliation are two different things, and truthfully I would much prefer to practice humility than to suffer routine humiliation after being prideful.

And believe me, God will allow us to be humiliated when our prideful attitudes get in the way of practicing humility. A dent in my car? A small thing, yes. An insignificant thing that I will get over.

But a proud attitude? Let’s just say that I’m thankful the only damage was done to my car and not to someone I love. Because usually the consequences of pride are destruction and folly, as this proverb accurately proclaims: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18