Leadership Essentials: Shaping Vision, Multiplying Influence, Defining Character

Pride is a hidden sin. It operates under the veil of the lack of self-awareness. C. S. Lewis put it this way in Mere Christianity, “There is no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves... If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell them the first step. The step is to realize that one is proud. And a biggish step, too.”

The opposite of humility is pride and possession. These impulses get us into trouble because we subtly become the focus. Humility and self-conceit are direct opposites. C. S. Lewis calls pride “the complete anti-God state of mind.”

them to follow another. As those who were formerly in his fold began to drift toward Jesus, John could have felt his life was draining away. But there was no tug of war. This is the mark of true humility.

What is remarkable is that John was not only able to let his disciples go, but he had prepared

“Young man, seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not. Seek ye first the kingdom of God.”

Jesus seems to be saying, “It is a law of life that we consistently underestimate the size of our own faults and overestimate the size of others’. We all tend to judge in our own favor.”

self-examination before we correct others.

To justify ourself we find fault with others.

The flipside of humility is pride. One of the evidences of pride is our tendency to judge others with a harsher standard than we judge ourself