I recently came across a line in Ryan Holiday’s Ego Is the Enemy that made me really think. I think it spoke to me because it hit a little close to home.
Holiday quotes Theognis, an ancient Greek poet who lived roughly 2,500 years ago:
“The first thing which gods bestow on one they would annihilate, is pride.”
As Christians, we obviously don’t believe in the many “gods” of ancient Greek culture. There is one true God. But it is remarkable that a man writing 2,500 years ago recognized a truth about human nature that Scripture also makes unmistakably clear:
“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”
— Proverbs 16:18
Two very different worldviews. The same observation about the human condition: Pride is dangerous.
The Problem With Pride
Most of us probably don’t think of ourselves as prideful. Pride sounds like arrogance or boasting.
But pride can be much quieter.
I know what I’m doing. I don’t really need anyone’s advice. I’ve earned this. I can handle this myself.
And maybe the most dangerous one:
I don’t really need God involved in this.
That’s what makes pride so difficult to recognize. We can see it in someone else from a mile away. It’s much harder to see when it’s operating inside us.
Success May Be the Most Dangerous Time
Failure has an interesting way of driving us toward humility.
When business is struggling, a relationship is hurting, our health is uncertain, or life simply isn’t going according to plan, we recognize our limitations. We pray. We ask for help. We realize how little we actually control.
But what happens when things are going well?
We can begin to believe the story that we did this.
Our judgment. Our discipline. Our talent. Our hard work.
Those things certainly matter. God expects us to use the abilities He has given us. But somewhere along the way, gratitude can quietly become self-satisfaction.
And self-satisfaction can become pride.
That’s why Theognis’ observation is so interesting. He wasn’t simply saying pride eventually causes destruction. He was suggesting that pride itself is the beginning of the destruction.
Confidence and Humility Can Coexist
Humility doesn’t mean thinking poorly of yourself or pretending you aren’t good at something. A humble man can be extremely confident.
Pride says: Look what I have done.
Humility says: Look what God has allowed me to do with what He has given me.
One puts us at the center. The other keeps God there.
So maybe it’s worth occasionally asking ourselves: Where am I taking too much credit? Where have I stopped listening? Where have I become difficult to correct? Where am I depending entirely on myself? Where have I forgotten to thank God?
Pride rarely announces its arrival. It slips in quietly—often when life is going particularly well.
The ancient Greeks noticed it. Solomon warned us about it. And 2,500 years later, human nature hasn’t changed very much.
The goal isn’t to think less of the gifts God has given us. It’s to remember where they came from.
- Do you agree that it’s human nature to take credit for success instead of giving the glory to God?
- How do you tend to respond when someone corrects or challenges you? Is it tough to take a step back and consider the merits of that kind of feedback?
- Are there areas of you life where you are relying more on yourself than on God?
- Does success tend to make us more grateful and generous—or more self-reliant and entitled?
- What is one thing in my life that I’ve been taking credit for that I need to intentionally thank God for today?
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