Falling

DAILY BYTE

To sum up so far: this parable teaches us that self-righteousness and pride are the ‘basic sin’ causing us to FALL from who we were originally created to be, and also causing devastating damage outside of ourselves. Most specifically in the area of our relationships ... did you notice at all how the Pharisee’s pride caused him to place himself above so many others?

This is because pride and self-righteousness seem to suck all the grace and tolerance and acceptance and forgiveness out of how we may deal with and perceive others.

Think about a person you may be struggling with. They may well be both annoying and irritating in their own right, but is at least a part of your struggle with them because you think you are better than them? Or perhaps they annoy you so much because they remind you of your own weaknesses that you don’t want to admit?

Or think about a close relationship where there may presently be some tension, perhaps a family member or friend. Have any of those struggles been because someone is too proud to admit a wrong, to say sorry, or to accept a compromise. In his book, ‘What’s so amazing about Grace?’ Philip Yancey tells the story of a couple who didn’t speak to each other for decades because both were too proud to admit fault or to be the first to say sorry.

Or what about the great Christian call of community beyond boundaries? Do we struggle to enter relationships with others who are different from us ONLY because of those differences? Or is it because in a place deep down and well hidden, we secretly think that our differences actually do make us better?

Now, I can’t actually answer any of those questions for you. I can only ask them of myself, and can only emphasise that the story is teaching us that there seems to be no greater destroyer of relationships than self-righteousness and pride. It can destroy churches, marriages, friendships and yes, or course, as we see in Adam and Eve, and in this Pharisee, it can also adversely affect our relationship with God.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Almighty God, we ask you to specifically pin-point what relationships we may be damaging because of our pride. Forgive us for the times we place ourselves above others in any way and help us to engage with others with humility and grace. Amen.

FOCUS READING

Luke 18 : 11 (NIV)

The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.’