Don't Stand Up In The Canoe

"When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom" (Proverbs 11:2).

This Proverb is very similar to Proverbs 16:18 which says, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." We have all heard that "pride cometh before the fall" but I am not sure we all knew that saying is straight from the Bible.

It is interesting that pride leads to its opposite, disgrace. The very thing most of us try to avoid, at all cost, is failure. And yet, as we succeed at doing well, we can let it go to our heads (pride) and then we fall. Our winning can lead to losing in the blink of an eye.

We are told, however, that humility leads to wisdom. The Hebrew word used here for "humility" means to "walk humbly." The picture we are given is of a person who has a modest spirit before God and man. That modest spirit is not the spirit of a loser, however. It is the spirit of a person who knows his place in the presence of his Creator. It is the spirit of a person who wins at life, yet refuses to take all the credit. Humility allows for credit to be given to those whom it is due. We are told in Scripture that humility leads to wisdom and wisdom leads to a full and significant life with God. It is the wise person among us who handles winning and losing really well.

I experienced, first hand, what it means for pride to come before the fall. It happened years ago when I was canoeing with friends on a river in the Texas Hill Country. We were having a great time racing our canoes. Splashing one another as we sped down the river was intended to gain some advantage. I eventually won the impromptu race and was full of pride... then I did something stupid. I stood up in the canoe to celebrate. Within seconds, I was underwater looking up at the canoe. I learned a great biblical lesson that day and I didn't even have my Bible with me. Don't stand up in the canoe.

For me, "standing up in the canoe" is now synonymous for "pride comes before the fall." Whether it has to do with my parenting skills, responsibilities at the church, friendships, speaking engagements, spiritual counseling, or just a simple conversation about life... I am very careful not to let  success go to my head. I have seen the bottom of too many canoes while lying on the bottom of too many rivers.