I’m in the process of reading a book by Beth Moore, author and Bible teacher. The book is called “So Long Insecurity.” In Chapter 6, Moore begins a discussion on two major roots of insecurity: The culture outside us and the influence of pride within us. These are only two out of many other roots of insecurity that Moore presents early in the book. I’m going to direct my reflections on the latter, pride. Here are some examples of pride that Moore gives:

• We’re not the only women in our men’s lives, and that hurts our pride.
• We’re not someone’s favorite, and that hurts our pride.
• We’re not somebody else’s top priority, and that hurts our pride.
• We don’t feel special, and that hurts our pride.
• We don’t get the promotion, and that hurts our pride.
• We don’t win the fight, and that hurts our pride.
• We’re not paid what we’re worth, and that hurts our pride.
• We’re not paid at all, and that really hurts our pride.

I’m going to give some prideful statements which may reveal insecurity in an athlete’s life:

• “I didn’t get the win today. I hate playing this sport when I’m not the best.”
• “My score was the lowest out of anyone’s today. What an embarrassment. I’m better than this!”
• “My coach didn’t pay attention to me today.”
• “The only friends I have in my life are those on the team. I don’t have time for anybody else because they just won’t understand me.”
• “One of my teammates just broke my personal record. That pisses me off!”
• “This team would not be able to win without me.”
• “I can’t help it, I’m a perfectionist.”

Moore states: “Here’s how pride can cheat us out of intimacy, because intimacy requires transparency!

Here are some additional quotes that will clarify what pride is:
“We will never feel better about ourselves by becoming more consumed with ourselves.” -B. Moore
“Although perfectionists seem very insecure, doubting their decisions and actions, fearing mistakes and rejection, and having low opinions of themselves, at the same time, they have excessively high personal standards and an exaggerated emphasis on precision, order and organization, which suggests an aspiration to be better than others.” –R. Winter (psychiatrist)
If we were dead honest with ourselves, we’d come to the conclusion that pride is not a good thing after all. Sort of conflicts with what our sport culture is telling us, huh? Well, let’s just say what pride really is…sin.
I recently got to meet a gentleman who works as a chaplain in the summer Olympics. His name is John Ashley Null. In his book (“Real Joy: Freedom to be Your Best”) he addresses the problem of sin in our lives. To put it in athletic terms, Null explains that we all have a “scorecard” which illustrates how our good works, behavior, etc. fail to meet God’s requirement of holiness and righteousness . Null states: “How did your scorecard read before you realized you needed God? The sins on our scorecard means you are separated from God and sentenced to death and eternal separation from Him. The sinful scorecard presents God with a really difficult problem. If He gives us our just deserts, He has lost a relationship with us forever-the very purpose for which His love created us. Yet, if God simply chooses to overlook our guilt when we want to come back, He destroys the very basis on which we are able to have a relationship with Him. That’s because to have a good relationship, you need to understand yourself, understand the other person, and agree on how you are to get along.” (pg. 66-67)
God created us for a relationship with Him! That relationship is possible through His Son, Jesus Christ. Today, take time to read Psalm, Chapter 139. You will be amazed at the love our Heavenly Father has for you, regardless of how you perform, what you look like, what you’ve done—good or bad, or what gifts and talents you do or do not possess