The Cost of Pride

All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.

Matthew 11:29

When I read the words of Jesus my initial focus is on His promise of “rest”. It’s one of the most refreshing invitations in the Bible. Am I tired today? Jesus promises rest. There is another message in His invitation that I have often overlooked. I noticed this message because of my recent studies in the Old Testament book of Obadiah. Obadiah has caused me to consider the consequences of pride. One of the subtle costs of pride is fatigue. Did you notice it in the message of Matthew 11:29? In Christ, gentleness, humility and rest are connected. To put it bluntly, maintaining pride can be exhausting. Brennan Manning helps us understand how much labor is required in order for us to maintain our pride:

“Defense mechanisms are useful ploys to warp our perception of self and protect us from rejection, loss, and emotional pain. Through the smokescreen of rationalization, projection, and insulation, we remain on the merry-go-round of denial and dishonesty. Unable to accept our brokenness, we wear a thousand masks to disguise the face of fear.”

Why would I want to do that? I don’t even like merry-go-rounds! There is one primary reason. It’s pride. So what is the solution? Jesus says, “Learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart”. Jesus not only promises to teach us a better way of life, but He promises rest.