Proverbs 16:18 "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."

"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18).

Question:

I visited my son in a drug rehabilitation center yesterday. He, his deacon from church and two other inpatients went to the deacon's house to eat dinner with many of his family members. While waiting for the food, my son was acting sort of haughty. I made the remark about "pride comes just before the fall." He looked sort of "cut down,” and we all laughed. This morning, he telephoned me to tell me he has been discharged from the rehabilitation center for inappropriate behavior, now he is homeless in an unfamiliar situation. I am old and tired and do not know what to do. I sent in a request for prayer. Last month my son and I both telephoned for prayer. I need some help.

Comment:

I certainly join with you in prayer for you and for your son. I see you both guided easily and joyfully to your highest good—in your individual lives and in your relationship together. I know from personal experience how challenging these days of early recovery can be, both for the patient himself and for those who love him. Your son needs and deserves to feel pride in the process of recovery he is undertaking. That sense of gratitude for the ways in which the grace of God expresses in our lives is not the dangerous “pride” described in this passage from Proverbs. A false pride and haughtiness come from a belief that we are totally responsible for our own good. That ego-centric attitude will indeed inevitably lead to destruction, because we are placing our faith in our limited human abilities instead of in our Oneness with God. And, at the same time, it's important that we take pride in the ways in which we surrender to the Power of God, allowing it to guide us always to our greatest good. I affirm that your son is feeling that in his own life, and that his path of recovery is clear and bright before him.

Blessings!

Rev. Ed