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There is nothing that can destroy a marriage or rip apart a family like pride. Pride eats away at peace and is the very opposite of the unconditional love that should be our foundation. 

A healthy and thriving marriage is made up of two people who selflessly pursue each other. Their goal is to meet the needs of their spouse. When both people in the marriage have that mindset, their relationship is full of love, peace, mercy, and grace. 

When a person begins to let pride into the marriage, they stop serving their spouse and quickly begin serving themselves. They no longer put the needs of their spouse first and can quickly become demanding or dissatisfied when the spouse fails to meet their needs the way they want them met. 

Pride leads to a dysfunctional marriage that may experience affairs, pornography addictions, and abuse. Sometimes the dysfunction is not catastrophic but instead leads to a one-sided relationship that is incapable of meeting the needs of either spouse. 

Pride can be equally destructive with our ability to parent our children. A parent filled with pride can be the loud and obnoxious parent verbally abusing the umpire at their child's little league game. Pride can lead to someone making discipline about themselves, inflicting their wrath on the child instead of disciplining to mold and correct behavior. Pride can keep us from admitting our wrongs to our children or letting them see the vulnerabilities that make us human. 

Instead, a family that is built on humility is quick to forgive each other because they are even quicker to admit their mistakes. An unselfish home continually puts each other's needs first, pursuing peace of dominance. This is the kind of home that becomes a refuge because the family can be at peace with each other and be comfortable enough to be the real version of themselves. 

The Bible is full of scriptures about pride, but one of my favorites is found in James 4:6 

"God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

God fully understands the consequences of pride because it is what led to Satan's fall from heaven. (Isaiah 14:12-15). He knows the destructive nature of pride and that is why the scripture states that God flat out opposes it. 

When you feel like conflict is brewing in your marriage, or there is a disconnect in the relationship with your children, step back and examine your heart for pride. Ask yourself if you are making the situation about you or if pride is threatening to drive a wedge between you and the people you care most about.