~ The Lies Pride Tells

Could pride be getting in the way of your relationship with your spouse?

Whenever I feel wronged, I tend to be a grudge holder. My pride gets the better of me, and I start to believe the lies it tells.

Pride has a way of stifling the truth. If not dealt with, it will grow out of control until it chokes out every sprout of love. For instance, when I disagree with my husband and feel he is in the wrong, my pride tells me things like:

I deserve to get my way.
There’s nothing wrong with withholding my love and kindness from my husband.
He is wrong, so I’m perfectly justified in my discontented demeanor towards him.

The truth is that none of the abovementioned things represent the love of Christ. In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he says, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (ESV)

In Matthew Henry’s commentary, he writes, “In this beautiful description of the nature and effects of love, it is meant to show the Corinthians that their conduct had, in many respects, been a contrast to it.” Like the Corinthians, my conduct towards my husband when we disagree can be contrary to the love Paul writes about in these verses.

It’s not easy to walk in love or humility, or kindness, or mercy when we’re angry. Like me, you may grapple with pride and struggle to choose these things. If so, I invite you to read my latest article, Choosing To Love When You Disagree, at A Wife Like Me. In this post, I share my story and include a prayer to pray when we’re struggling in this area.