I Said The Most Evil Thing In Church The Other Day

Tim H. Swanson

Last week, I said the most evil thing while I was working at my church.

I had over scheduled myself - again. I was standing in the church's auditorium lending a hand in building a new backdrop for the stage, and thinking about details for the upcoming night of worship/album release that my praise team would be doing. Along with all of that, bits and pieces of Sunday morning plans were cropping up in my head. I stood there feeling the weight of everything all at once. I was overwhelmed.

Then very suddenly a thought jumped into my head, "Oh yeah, we have to do communion this Sunday as well." It felt like the straw that broke the camel's back. There was no possible way to get it all done. That's when the most evil thought cropped into my mind. When I feel over burdened, I start trying to think of ways to simplify (cut corners), I typically panic and think to myself, "I can just..." That was my evil thought. I began to mentally take everything to the chopping block, thinking about how "I could just" cut corners to reduce the pressure of all my commitments and get it all done. My most concerning sin wasn't that I had over committed myself, thought that certainly isn't good or godly. Where I really felt the panic was in realizing that my own pride had crept in.

I was thinking about ways "I could just" make things bearable so that I could appear to have gotten everything done, and save my own reputation in the process.

Are you like me? Do you tend to take on too much only to feel forced to cut corners at the last minute to pull everything off? 

If that's the case, it's important to acknowledge that the goal isn't to avoid cutting corners. The goal is to keep yourself from getting into the position where you feel like you have to. The way to do that is by pursuing humility, and admitting that you can't and shouldn't do it all. 

These are some important steps for you to consider this week as you examine your own pride. Some of these things we know we need to be doing. However, when our pride is in the driver's seat, we just don't do them. This week, pursue just one of these methods for defusing pride and regaining balance for the sake of those over whom you have influence, and ultimately your own life.

1. Start by making long term goals, or re-acknowledging the goals you already set. This isn't a cure for your pride. It's easy to set goals and still let pride rule your life as you pursue your goals. But goals provide some train tracks on which your decisions can run. They help you determine what things are good for you and your team, and the things that you just want to do to look good.

2. Use the 'N' word.  When my pride is in the driver's seat, I rarely say, "no". I want people to know what a great guy I am, so I take on all kinds of stuff that I have no business doing. Then, while my pride is doing the navigating, I'm headed all over the map - doing everything half way and doing nobody any good. Once you and God have some good goals in place, it's important to learn to say, "no". Sometimes using this word will cost you opportunities. That's typically when you'll learn the best lessons about humility.

3. Give somebody permission to confront you about your own pride. A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with the senior pastor at Moon Valley Bible Church. He told me he was a little concerned about the attitude he had seen from me in our staff meetings recently. He warned me that I might be suffering from some pride. Then he challenged me to examine my motives as I worked on projects for the church. That conversation was powerful for me. It hurt, but it also opened my eyes to an unhealthy sinful attitude that I had adopted. Since that conversation, it's been considerably easier to spot pride in my life, and turn things back over to God.

4. Pray for humility. You don't have to be around church for a long time to know that this act scares Christians a lot. Most church leaders imagine their lives after they've prayed for humility. They picture themselves loosing their jobs, their houses are burned to the ground, their marriages end, and their kids sign emancipation papers. Certainly God deals harshly with some people, He did with Job. But that's not always the case. He also deals gently with some people. Whether He takes you through deep canyons or narrow valleys, the point is that humility is the best thing for all of us.

5. Look around for somebody better than you. When you're presented with an opportunity, start by asking yourself, "Am I really the best person for this job, or do I know somebody who would be better?" I find that I tend to pridefully accept everything that comes my way, because I want to be the best person for every job. It requires humility to admit that you're not the best person for the task at hand, and offer it to somebody else.

Think About It This Way 

You've heard the saying, "the pride comes before the fall", but have you ever thought about the implications of that truth in your own life? Certainly all sin is equal, but on this earth pride does more damage than any other sin. 

As influencers, we cannot afford for pride to drive our decisions. As we work to be the best we can be and offer the best we have, we have to pursue humility. Only then will our leadership have a powerful impact on the people that look up to us. 

Question: What do you do to keep your pride in check?