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“The heart of the world is
breaking under the load of pride and pretense.
There is no release from our burden apart from the meekness of
Christ.”
~ A.W.Tozer, The Pursuit of God, p.109.
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Pride &
Pretense
“Blessed
are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5)
Jesus
may have said it, but few of us believe it. The earth does not belong
to the gentle and humble. They get taken advantage of. They get run
over by the powerful and beaten down by the assertive. They lose in the
cut-throat competition of our culture. They suffer at the hands of the
violent and the aggressive.
Blessed
are the meek. It seems ludicrous to suggest. Meekness is
synonymous with weakness in the eyes of the world. Humility is what you
accept when you have nothing to be proud of. But A.W. Tozer nails it
right on the head. The burden of pride and pretense steadily crushes
us.
Our
sensitivity to what others think or say about us betrays the talon-grip
of pride in our life. The ease with which a casual or careless word can
wound us and stir us to sleepless nights exposes our pride even
further. And our insistence that all is well when all is not well
reveals the deep pretentiousness of our hearts.
We
want family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers to admire us. So, we
carefully craft an image and defend it with vigor. Fearful that folk
might see the real us (with its weaknesses and warts), we work
tirelessly to project a preferred (and prideful) “false self.” And
living this way, with one eye over our shoulder, shrivels the soul.
We
need not characterize the meek and the humble as awkward, bumbling
milk-sops without a backbone. True meekness often demonstrates
remarkable strength and courage. But more importantly, by embracing the
meekness of Christ we begin to release the burden of pride and
pretense. Once we reach the point that we care nothing for what others
say or think of us because we care only for Christ, the burden lifts
entirely.
Does
this mean we adopt a reckless, cavalier, or condescending attitude
towards others and their perceptions? Not at all. We love them deeply
and listen to them sincerely. But we’ll find rest for our souls not in
perpetuating our pride and pretense but by embracing the meekness of
Christ.
Sincere
humility does not diminish us. It liberates us.
In
HOPE –
David
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