PRIDE… It had “I” right in the middle of spelling for us as a reminder. Pride is a funny thing, and you can have it either way, good or bad in your life. To answer the “pride” question, you really have to look deep within yourself and be able to answer the hard questions.
I believe there is a vast difference between being a prideful leader and a leader who has pride. Both are everywhere but one of the two wants and needs an audience more than the other and does almost anything to obtain it.
Prideful leaders crave accolades, applause, and recognition. They live their lives drawing attention and will give it to themselves if they cannot receive it from anywhere else. Their presence of pride is lived on public identity. Listen for words of “me” and “I” in their speech.
I like to use the word “pleather” here as a definition for an analogy – prideful leaders are nothing more than “plastic-leather,” a sham and a fake. Eventually it will show what it truly is.
They rub enough elbows and pat enough backs to get where they want to be. Most of all, a prideful leader’s heart is hard, blocked and clogged from being able to let humility flow with the struggle of each beat. Their whole body becomes stiff, leaving them unable to bend in humility with and for others.
Here is what leaders who have pride do… THE OPPOSITE of everything above. Easy to say, right? Yes. How do you know? It shows in their actions instead of their speech. They help others without making other lives miserable. They teach and educate, not browbeat. They give confidence to others. Their pride is in the fact that they want others to succeed. Their freedom of being prideful is in their humbleness of putting others first — no “pleather” with them.
It matters not where you work or what position you are in; pride is always there. Let it be the right kind of pride in your life. Everyone around will be better for it.
I would be remiss if I did not close with this Scripture reference: “… Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble'” – I Peter 5:5 (ESV).
Below you will find the lyrics to the new song by Christian artist, Mandisa, “Bleed The Same.” The other day I heard it for the first time on KLOVE riding down the road. Like many things, it made me start thinking…
We say this, and we say that, only to get and keep the same results. We say we want more or better, but we do not put the effort in to change. Many times we might even be influenced by others who do not want to change. I/we want to…. I/we wish… I/we… The “want list” just goes on and on.
When it comes to the lives we live, they are the sum collections of thoughts created from experience or instilled as a way of life. However, the funny thing is, we are all in this together. At some point, we must acknowledge that everything in one way or another, affects everything else. The ripple effect might have diminished very small by the time it got to us but rippled it did.
Our world of humanity has its foundations based on morality. Sooner, rather than later, we should all know the difference between right and wrong. Yet we continue to make the same choices that enable our lives to stay the same, while at the same time always wanting more or better. The system can only be blamed so much. The issue becomes that we want the spotlight on others and their faults. We never want to turn the spotlight on ourselves. The last thing we want is for our inadequacies to be shown in the light.
I figure the best way to handle all of this, is to start with me. What am I doing to make it better? The “it” is anything that divides. It is united we stand. Can we (you, I, whoever) choose to work for a greater good? How many times does each of us have that one opportunity to do just that? Actually we have many opportunities. We just wait on someone else.
As you read the lyrics below, I would dare say that each of us would agree with everything it says. So many solid truths. Whatever change you want, let it start with you. Most of all, let others see it. Go out and prove it. Your essence of leadership does one of the two… it unites or divides.
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We all bleed the same We’re more beautiful when we come together We all bleed the same So tell me why, tell me why We’re divided
Woke up today Another headline Another innocent life is taken In the name of hatred So hard to take (hey!) And if we think that it’s all good Then we’re mistaken ‘Cause my heart is breaking
Are you left? Are you right? Pointing fingers, taking sides When are we gonna realize?
We all bleed the same We’re more beautiful when we come together We all bleed the same So tell me why, tell me why We’re divided If we’re gonna fight Let’s fight for each other If we’re gonna shout Let love be the cry We all bleed the same So tell me why, tell me why We’re divided
Tell me, who are we To judge someone By the kind of clothes they’re wearing Or the color of their skin?
Are you black? (black) Are you white? (white) Aren’t we all the same inside? (the same inside) Father, open our eyes to see!
We all bleed the same (we all bleed the same) We’re more beautiful when we come together We all bleed the same (we all bleed the same) So tell me why, tell me why We’re divided If we’re gonna fight Let’s fight for each other (fight for each other!) If we’re gonna shout Let love be the cry (be the cry!) We all bleed the same (we all bleed the same) So tell me why, tell me why We’re divided
Only love can drive out all the darkness What are we fighting for? We were made to carry one another We were made for more, said Only love can drive out all the darkness What are we fighting for? yeah We were made to carry one another We were made for more!
We all bleed the same (we all bleed the same) We’re more beautiful when we come together (let’s stand united!) We all bleed the same (we all bleed the same) So tell me why, tell me why We’re divided If we’re gonna fight Let’s fight for each other (fight for each other!) If we’re gonna shout Let love be the cry (be the cry!) We all bleed the same(we all bleed the same) (bleed the same) Let’s stand united (let’s stand united) Let’s stand united!
So Father God, I pray That our families will come together right now And seek Your face You will forgive our sins And You will heal our incredible land In the name of the only Savior, Jesus Christ Amen
“What if today, we were just grateful for everything?” – Charlie Brown
Have you ever considered what “makes” Thanksgiving work? Not the “works” of turkey and dressing and the other fixings, but the “works” of our thoughts and why we are thankful. I am sure we have many ideas as to why we are thankful, and you can probably start the sentence off with “I am thankful because…”
If you are on twitter, you might follow @goodreads. It is a site for book lovers. Often, it will tweet out, “Describe the book you are currently reading in three words.” I find this interesting because I catch myself asking this with a lot of my general activities. Simple questions like this sometimes provide the most thought.
So, my statement for you today and next week is, “Describe your thoughts on Thanksgiving in three words.”
It would be interesting to know what each of you would say. I am very sure that there would be an overwhelming amount of the same words from person to person. The idea here is not to limit our thinking, but to be intentional about our thinking.
My three words for describing my thoughts on Thanksgiving are:
Authentic
I once heard someone say, “You can never separate who you are with what you say you believe in.” One reason I admire the Pilgrims is that they were a group that held firm to their beliefs of who they were. May we unapologetically do the same.
Generosity
Another saying I once heard was, “Your level of generosity is not determined by how much you give, but by how much you hold onto.” How often do we give of ourselves? While giving is not a natural born characteristic, we can learn how to give of ourselves and be generous. It takes time and most of all, effort.
Gratitude
Everyone has something to be thankful for, and only you know what those things are. Allow your gratitude to be intentional. Let it show as a helping example for others but not in a boastful manner.
This Thanksgiving, as you celebrate, take time to consider the statement, “Describe your thoughts on Thanksgiving in three words.” You might even decide to have this as a topic for conversation with friends and family at the table.
But most of all, make sure you take time to give thanks. By doing so, we bow before the Lord in our humility. Thankful that He is willing to save our souls as we look forward to an inheritance of eternal life which He has promised.
I like to use the word “pleather” here as a definition for an analogy – prideful leaders are nothing more than “plastic-leather,” a sham and a fake. Eventually it will show what it truly is.
