Pride Barrier

The thing is...pride is ugly!

It says, "I'm right!"

It says, "I don't need help!"

It says, "I know better than you!"

Need I continue?

It is a serious character flaw that can cause enormous problems for you and those around you.

I was reminded of this the other day by a story my daughter told me about a friend (who will remain nameless) who was too proud to accept help to resolve a situation that he really needed help to resolve. We offered help as friends, his father offered help, others offered help but he refused because of his pride. In the end, his situation was made worse and everyone sees why except him.

Oh my! Have I ever been there and done that! But God didn't abandon me. He kept putting me into situations that required me to deal with this character flaw head on.

I remember the day well. I was sick with infectious hepatitis - so sick that I was prohibited from even wiping off the table after a meal. I was ordered to do absolutely nothing. I was on complete bed rest. And I was in quarantine. Needless to say, I was frustrated and angry. In addition, I had a very active 2 year old to keep track of.

One day, that very active 2 year old spilled his drink at the table. (I had just been sitting in front of my plate, picking at my food, but unable to force much of my food in.) When the milk spilled, it was the last straw. I blew up!

I stomped to my bedroom, slammed the door and threw myself on the bed. And I cried out to God.

"What do you want from me?" I asked.

The response in my spirit was almost immediate. Although it wasn't an audible voice, it certainly "sounded" like it.

"I'll take your anger, your pride, your self-righteousness, and..." was His response. I can't remember all the items He enumerated, but those were the main ones.

"Take them," I said. "I am sick and tired of them."

And a transaction took place at that moment that literally changed my life.

I dried my tears, went back to the dining room and my husband met me with a hug. He said, "You're going to be OK." I said, "I already am."

In those few minutes in the bedroom, God brought healing to my body, soul and spirit.

When I got back to the table to finish my meal, I had no trouble eating. I finished up all the food on my plate. It was miraculous!

We often talk about swallowing our pride. I think that applies in so many areas of our lives if we desire to grow and be compassionate, contributing members of society including the business arena.

Quickly and easily admitting when we've made a wrong decision or when we've ignored someone's help is a critical character trait that we all could improve upon.

Maybe this will help you in some way. I hope so. Don't let pride be an excuse that keeps you stuck.

Regards,

Sharon Reece
Queen of Excuses

P.S. If this makes sense to you, I'd like to invite you to grab a copy of a new book, BOMBSHELL - Recruiting on Autopilot, written by my good friend and mentor, Tim Darnell. Then join us in changing the world!

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P.P.S. As required by law, I may earn commissions when you purchase anything I recommend in my blogposts.

I was/am a missionary!

The thing is...I'm a missionary.

Does that also mean that I cannot be an entrepreneur?

I must admit that it took me a looooonnng time to get past my missionary mindset to the point of being able to reconcile the two. Even though I truly felt the calling to be both a missionary and an entrepreneur, it definitely caused some conflict inside.

And I believe strongly in this double calling just like the Apostle Paul who went about preaching the gospel, while supporting himself by his profession of making tents.

But I definitely had some of the "what will people think" and "what will people say" mentality. I hung unto that one for way too long and used it as one of my excuses. I am, after all, the Queen of Excuses!

Even though, as "faith" missionaries, we saw God provide for us in miraculous and amazing ways over the years, we definitely had that poverty mentality. Yes, we gave in so many ways, but our ability to give monetarily was extremely limited. And although we never actually went hungry, our budget was often very tight.

I'll never forget the time we were on a furlough and living with my husband's parents. Neither of us were very good with putting together a wardrobe that would be acceptable in Dallas. In fact, all the clothes we brought back with us from the mission field were very dingy, faded and inappropriate for use outside the 4 walls of our home!

So we asked our mission's local home office to help us with our wardrobe. I think the person who came to see what we already had was pretty shocked at what she saw. We were forthwith each given a "shopping trip." I learned so much from that experience. For one thing, I learned that clothes determine whether you "fit in" and are accepted - or not! I also learned how to dress for the classic look using things that would always be in style!

But I digress!

Inside of me was always that burning desire to be more, do more, contribute more!

I eventually and mostly because I had no choice, abandoned the missionary mindset and excuse and became an entrepreneur! It took many books, much training, and a great deal of personal mentoring, among other things, to break old habits and ways of thinking and adopt an abundance mentality rather than a scarcity mentality!

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

If any of this makes sense to you and if I can help you in any way, I'll be happy to do so!

Sharon
Queen of Excuses

P.S. If you have a desire to build Kingdom wealth that will enable you to give more both financially and in many other ways, please feel free to download this book, BOMBSHELL - Recruiting on Autopilot written by my friend and mentor, Tim Darnell.

P.P.S. In compliance with law, I must let you know that any links you purchase from could result in my earning a commission.