On my show 15, last week, we discussed help. We talked about how not asking for help is a form of pride. I decided to elaborate more on this.

The definition of pride we are working with is a noun:“a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements,” To have pride means different things for different people, and we’re not talking about the verb of pride, which is more about recognizing and appreciating your abilities, gifts, talents, etc.

A lot of times, when we accomplish something on our own, we start to feel pride. This starts at a young age. As our parents teach us to do things on our own, we’re praised for our independence. Making your breakfast, tying your shoes, reading, writing, riding a bike, figuring out your issues/conflicts, etc. are all things that we do on our own that we praised for and help instill self-confidence and the feeling of pride.

As we age, we grow addicted to the feeling of whether we are successful on our own, or we chase what we think it feels like if we are struggling. That’s where pride begins to become an issue.

In success, our pride causes us to talk down to others, view people through a negative lens, see ourselves as “better” or more important, and we begin to lose ourselves in our pride. We forget who we are at the core. The things that make us successful and able to achieve existed before pride did!

When we are looking for success, pride will cause us not to build camaraderie, to throw people under the bus, to operate out of fear, need, anxiety, etc. We also will find that our reasoning for pursuing our goals and dreams is less about fulfilling our purpose and more about proving a point.

Pride can make you feel embarrassment or shame when really our friends, family, and community are where we should run to when we need help. In Ephesians, we are reminded that we all serve different purposes and that we should be coming together to be better and stronger, not trying to do everything on our own.

In Romans, we see how much better we all are together. A Bible that was created to help us accept each other and perform different functions in the body is the same Bible that encourages us to lend our help to one another for Kingdom Purpose.

This week’s challenge: Write down a few unfinished tasks. Pray and ask God who would be the best help for completing them and a few people you can help with your abilities. Then pray for the wisdom to ask for help.