Pride strikes at the pinnacle of success

If pride were a snake, it would live on the mountaintop. When you receive a generous promotion, make a major sale, garner work accolades for a critical project; these are times when pride comes near to kill. There’s little time to bask in one’s self-sufficiency on the climb up. Pitfalls hide on both sides, the peak is still distant, the possibility of success tentative. At the exhilarating finish, the temptation to rely on yourself and to boast in your achievement is high, and there is little protection from your environment.

Mark describes three events in Jesus' life that caused him to leave everyone to pray by himself. First, Mark records that he left before dawn to pray after a full day of healing the sick and casting out demons in Capernaum (ESV, Mark 1:35). Second, Mark tells us that Jesus sent away his disciples and the crowd to pray after multiplying the fishes and loaves to feed five thousand (ESV, Mark 6:46). Lastly, Mark writes that Jesus fell to the ground by himself to pray in the garden of Gethsemane before his betrayal took place (ESV, Mark 14:35). Luke writes about Jesus' practice of departing to pray as a regular occurrence (ESV, Luke 5:16).

Anderson says prayerlessness is a sure sign of pride, for it indicates a person believes he is sufficent in himself ((Anderson, pg. 61)). Jesus' practice of departing for prayer shows he knew success was a dangerous time when pride was likely to tempt him. Instead of acting complacently towards the danger, he took measures to combat pride immediately through prayer. By rising before dawn, by staying after-hours on the mountain, and by spending the night in the garden while his closest disciples slept, Jesus was prepared to cut the head off the snake before it struck him.

Business has many opportunities for pride to strike. A successful product launch may blind the entrepreneur into believing their success was due to inherent skill or wisdom. This in turn leads to a failure to accept critical feedback or give honor to those who deserve it, chiefly God and also one’s employees. God resists the prideful and employees leave those who treat them poorly. The end result is ruin for the successful entrepreneur who will walk away empty-handed at best.

Anderson minces no words as he describes the dangers and symptoms of pride. He writes, “In time, you will suffer a fast and lonely fall, and the leadership orphans in your organization will sigh with relief at your departure ((Anderson, pg. 59)).” Enough of his diagnosis rings true in my own life to cause fear I’m the one he’s talking about. A lack of prayer and a detestation of pride in others but an unawareness of pride in myself are the uppermost concerns for me.

In response, I will pray for those in my immediate sphere of influence, including those in authority over me.

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