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“Haughtiness hurts people.”

A thought by Max Lucado from his book, Because of Bethlehem (with Bonus Content): Love Is Born, Hope Is Here (p. 86). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

It really does.  And for sure it doesn’t lift up people, does it?

Max says, “The other day I saw some children at play on a large vacant lot where someone had dumped a mound of dirt. They were playing the greatest of kid games: King of the Mountain. The rules are as simple as they are brutal: fight your way to the top, and shove off anyone who threatens to take your spot. It was a slugfest of crawling, pushing, and falling.

“King of the Mountain is not just a kid’s game. Versions are played in every dormitory, classroom, boardroom, and bedroom. And since mountaintop real estate is limited, people get shoved around. Mark it down: if you want to be king, someone is going to suffer. Your uppitiness won’t prompt a Bethlehem massacre, but it might prompt a broken marriage, an estranged friendship, or a divided office.”

Max goes on, “’How much larger your life would be if your self could become smaller in it,’ wrote G. K. Chesterton. ‘You would break out of this tiny and tawdry theatre in which your own little plot is always being played, and you would find yourself under a freer sky.’”

Later he says, “Ponder your achievements less; ponder Christ’s more. Spend less time on your throne and more at his cross. Brag on his work, not yours. You are valuable, but you aren’t invaluable. It is Christ who matters, not us.

“Learn a lesson from the sad life of Herod. It’s always better to step down from the pedestal than to be pulled off of it. Like the innkeeper, Herod missed an opportunity to see Jesus. God did everything necessary to get Herod’s attention. He sent messengers from the East and a message from the Torah. He sent wonders from the sky and words from Scripture. He sent the testimony of the heavens and the teaching of the prophets. But Herod refused to listen. He chose his puny dynasty over Christ. He died a miserable old man.”

Max finishes this thought by saying, “Make the wiser choice. The path marked Pride will lead you over a cliff. The path marked Humility will take you to the manger of the Messiah.”


And that is where we want to go, isn’t it?
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