Wesley Challenge_Day 8

Am I proud?

SUNDAY — 01.10.21 · Read Psalm 139:13-14; Ephesians 2:4-10
St. Augustine once said that pride is “the love of one’s own excellence.” This goes beyond simply healthy self-esteem. This is a perspective that says we are somehow superior. Take comfort in the fact that you are valuable and precious to God, not because of what you have done or undone, but because of how you are made by God – in the image of God. So is everyone else.
⇒ What are your strengths, from God’s perspective? Are you ever tempted to think and act as though those strengths make you superior to other people? Are there places in your life where you are masking insecurities with pride? Are you able to be happy when someone else succeeds or gains praise, or does it make you feel threatened?
⇒ What’s the difference between healthy self-esteem and pride? Can you recall a time when you successfully overcame a sense of unhealthy pride? If so, what helped you to do that? Do you have anyone in your life who can honestly challenge you on pridefulness? Or if anyone challenges you, do you immediately become defensive?

Prayer: Creator of the universe, thank you for the gift of life you’ve entrusted to me. Help me find security in you and free me from the need to feel superior. Amen.