Have you ever noticed how pride can quietly rise up? It often shows up in our judgment of others. We see someone do something and make an under the breath comment about how inappropriate they are. I think about our tendencies to pride when I read the familiar passage of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and consider the storyline of Holy Week.
We, like those who saw Jesus as the story of Holy Week unfolds, well up with words of praise to the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Emotion grabs us and we declare “Hosanna!” Praise flows freely from the lips of those who admire Jesus and marvel at His miracles. But in just a few days the mob mentality rises up and the one who was just praised is now scorned, accused, blamed. And in our tendency of pride we rush to judge or at least we question how fickle those early followers of Jesus were. How could they judge our Jesus after all they had seen him do? How can you go from praise on Sunday to chants of rage and desire for His murder in a mere 4 days?
And then I consider my joyous praise from last Sunday and my thoughts and sometimes my behavior by Monday or Tuesday and my judgment turns to silence. And if I listen to that silence for long, tears of repentance and gratitude replace my pride as I consider my Savior on a cross.
-Dean Collins, President
Lord – please help me to remember how much of what I have comes from You, belongs to You and should be used for Your purposes.
