Love Is Not Proud

Have you ever noticed what the middle letter of 'pride' is? It's the big letter 'I'. Pride is all about me - what I want, what I need and what I think and feel. The Greek word used for the word 'proud' in 1 Corinthians 13, means 'to puff up' or 'blow up'. When we focus on ourselves, consumed with pride, we are neglecting to demonstrate true love to others around us. The opposite of this is humility.

When we truly love others, we don't focus on ourselves and our needs and desires. We won't brag about our accomplishments and achievements. We won't worry about being the one in the right and proving the other person wrong. We won't waste time and energy getting involved into arguments because we insist we know best. We won't put our desires above the desires of others. This all goes against what our fleshly nature wants to do, but true love conquers the selfish and proud tendencies that we so often feel.

Adopting a humble mind frame is key to exercising true love, and an integral quality in every relationship. The root cause of arguments in relationships is pride, and it's so easy to let our pride get in the way of things. It keeps us from admitting we're in the wrong, it stops us from exercising forgiveness and making up, it prohibits us from considering the other person's feelings and needs and putting them first. For the sake of winning an argument, even if you really believe you are in the right, is it really worth falling out with your loved one?

There's a Proverb in the Bible that says: "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18).

Don't let chasms form in your relationships because you're too proud to be the first one to take that step and heal a rift or apologise. Swallowing your pride won't kill you, but allowing it to fester can destroy your relationships. Especially don't allow pride to enter into your marriage. Humility will keep love and peace reigning in your home.