Elize About Faith

This is what the Lord says:

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.”

Jeremiah‬ ‭9‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

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To love deeply is to care deeply and where there is deep love, there will also be things we cannot accept. We love people, yet we hate injustice against the innocent. We love our children, yet we hate neglect and abuse that harm them. We love generosity, yet we hate theft and dishonesty.

In the same way, God in His perfect love also hates. And throughout Scripture, one of the things most consistently opposed by God is pride.

For a long time, I didn’t think pride was something I struggled with. I assumed humility meant simply not boasting outwardly. But my understanding began to change when I came across these words from the Apostle Paul:

“If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am.”

2 Corinthians 11:30 (NLT)

Paul is not denying his experiences or achievements. Instead, he reframes what is worth boasting about. Weakness, in this context, becomes a way of pointing away from self-sufficiency and toward dependence on God.

I remember hearing a similar message as a teenager in church. We often display our accomplishments – qualifications, awards and milestones as if they define who we are. But when these things become central to our identity, they quietly shift our focus away from God and onto ourselves.

Today, this tendency is amplified. Platforms like social media encourage us to present our achievements, often without acknowledging the grace, opportunity, or provision behind them. It becomes easy to forget how fragile these things are how quickly they could be taken away.

At its core, pride is not just confidence. It is the quiet belief that what we have is ours alone , that we are self-made, self-sufficient, and ultimately self-deserving. It places the self at the center and, over time, can lead to self-reliance, self-exaltation, and even self-worship.

Humility, by contrast, does not deny our value. It places it rightly. It recognizes that our abilities, opportunities, and successes are not created in isolation. They are given, shaped, and sustained by God.

In the teachings of Jesus, humility is not weakness it is clarity. It is seeing ourselves truthfully before God: neither inflated nor diminished. Where pride isolates, humility reconnects to God and to others.

So how can we recognize pride in ourselves?

It often shows up in subtle ways.

We may say, “I worked hard for this,” which is true. But humility adds, “I’m grateful for the ability, opportunity, and support that made it possible.”

Failure is another indicator. If failure shakes our sense of worth, pride may be at the root. But if our identity remains steady, even in disappointment, we are standing on something deeper than achievement.

Our response to criticism can reveal even more.

Humility is able to pause and consider: “That’s difficult to hear, but is there truth in it?”

Pride reacts quickly—defending, dismissing, or needing to prove itself right.

As Paul demonstrates, the ability to acknowledge weakness without losing identity is a mark of true humility.

This leads to an important question:

Where is the line between healthy self-worth and pride?

The difference is often invisible on the outside. Both can look like confidence, achievement, and even success. But the distinction lies in the posture of the heart.

Healthy self-worth says:

“I have value, and what I have has been given or grown with help.”

Pride says:

“My value comes from what I’ve achieved and it is mine alone.”

One is grounded in gratitude. The other in ownership.

In the teachings of Jesus, identity is not something we earn it is something we receive. It is rooted in relationship with God, not performance.

A revealing question to ask ourselves is this:

Can I truly rejoice when someone else succeeds in an area that matters to me?

Our answer often exposes what is happening beneath the surface. Because at its core, pride is independence taken too far. Humility, on the other hand, recognizes both effort and dependence on God and on circumstances beyond our control.

A simple reflection:

In moments of success or recognition, pause and ask:

Who receives the credit in my heart?

What happens to me if this is taken away?

Does this draw me closer to God and others or further into myself?

In the end, the distinction is simple, but searching:

Pride centers the self.

Humility places God at the center and finds its place there.