Nancy Hughes: The deep blue two-piece suit

 “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”

Proverbs 16:18 (NIV)

The sigh of impatience from behind me sounded more like a shout in my ears. My daughter and I were in line to prepare for boarding our plane for a flight to Chicago. Since she had never flown before, she had several questions for the agent.

Remembering my first time flying, I completely understood her nervousness. I turned to explain to the source of the sigh but was met with yet another, louder sigh accompanied by rolling eyes, crossed arms, and a tapping foot.

“Oh, good grief! You people! How hard is it?” she snapped at me. “She has never flown before,” I tried to explain. “So?” she interrupted. “Put your stuff in the tub, walk through the metal detector and go! I have important business to do.”

I turned back around but my mind had a perfect picture of this woman: deep blue two-piece suit, black heels, perfect hair, makeup, and a leather shoulder bag. In comparison, my daughter and I were very casually dressed in jeans, sandals, and summer blouses. And, now, handbags of humiliation.

My daughter and I walked through the metal detector as quickly as we could and began to gather our shoes and purses. It was at that exact moment that we heard a beeping noise and turned to see an agent motioning with his index finger for the deep blue two-piece suit to step to the side to be wanded by security. We could not help but listen to the one-sided conversation that followed. “What? Are you kidding me? You let THEM through and you are checking ME? ME?”

Proverbs16:18 is very clear about the outcome of a prideful attitude, much like the one the woman boarding the plane showed my daughter and me. But I have to admit – and I am ashamed of it – I have had that same prideful attitude.

Maybe not as I am getting on a plane, but in the checkout line at the grocery store or department store or sitting in “my” pew at church. That air of importance that I have about me, as if to let people know that I am more important than they are; therefore, they should give me preferential treatment. Shame on me.

Can you think of one single time in the entire Bible when Jesus displayed pride in Himself for who He was and what He was called to do? Me either.

The warning is very clear. A prideful attitude will not go undisciplined by the Lord. If you can identify with the owner of the deep blue two-piece suit, please join with me in losing the prideful attitude and replacing it with the love of Jesus.

Father, please show me the prideful attitude in my life so that I can throw it out. I want to be like Jesus in every single thing that I do. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation as the devotion example?

Can you identify with the woman in the suit or with my daughter and me?

Apply

Write the power verses on note cards and place them in your purse, car and around your home.

When you are tempted to fall into a prideful attitude, pull out a card and remind yourself of the result of arrogance and pride and ask the Lord to give you strength to not give in.

Power

Proverbs 16:18 (NIV) “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.”

I Corinthians 13:4 (NIV) “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”

I Samuel 2:3 (NIV) “Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed.”

(For more of Nancy Hughes' writing, check out her blog, Encouragement from the War Room.)