Pride—what a complex and multifaceted concept. Today, I want to dive deep into this idea of pride, exploring both its light and dark sides, the mountaintops it can lead us to, and the deep valleys it can drag us into. Pride, after all, is a double-edged sword. It can be a source of great strength and freedom, but if mishandled, it can also be a destructive force in our lives.

Let’s start by acknowledging that pride isn’t inherently bad. In fact, there’s a good side to pride that can be incredibly liberating. This kind of pride is rooted in humility—a recognition of who you are and whose you are. It’s the pride that comes from knowing you are created in the image of God, called to bear His likeness, and designed with a unique purpose that only you can fulfill. This is the kind of pride that lifts you up, that sets you free to live boldly and confidently in the truth of your identity in Christ.

But here’s where the danger lies: pride can also be the very thing that holds you back from everything God wants to do in and through you. It’s so subtle, so sneaky, that it can take root in our hearts before we even realize it. This darker side of pride is what C.S. Lewis famously described when he said, “A proud man is always looking down on things and people. And, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.”

When pride shifts from humble confidence to arrogant self-reliance, it becomes the gate that closes off the flow of God’s grace and power in your life. This is what the Bible refers to as haughtiness—a destructive, self-centered pride that elevates self above all else. It’s the kind of pride that leads you down, down, down into the depths of worthlessness, offense, and ultimately, destruction.

Let me introduce you to a visual framework I came up with called The Pride Triangle.

On one side of what I call “The Pride Triangle,” you have humility—the light side. Humility is the antidote to the dark side of pride. It’s what lifts you up to the mountaintop, where you live in the fullness of what God designed for your life. On the other side of the triangle is haughtiness, the dark side of pride that pulls you down into a pit of despair, offense, and anger.

Let’s break this down further. On the light side, the journey begins at the base, where you might struggle with feelings of worthlessness. This is the place where you feel like a nobody, where the enemy tries to trap you in the belief that you have no value. But as you begin to recognize your worth in Christ, you start to rise up to a place of value. You realize that your value isn’t based on who you are, but on whose you are. You belong to God, and that gives you an inherent worth that nothing and no one can take away.

From there, you move up to a place of gratitude, where your value matures into a deep sense of thankfulness. Gratitude leads to faithfulness, and as you live in that space, you develop what I like to call “Godfidence”—a confidence that’s rooted in God’s strength, not your own. This is where humility matures to its fullest point, where you’re living in wisdom and trusting God to lift you up, as James 4:10 says, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

On the dark side, however, the journey is quite different. It starts with arrogance—an inflated sense of self that quickly turns into offense when things don’t go your way. Offense then breeds anger, which leads to a destructive cycle that drags you down into a place of deep despair. This is why the Bible warns us so strongly against pride. Proverbs 16:18 tells us, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” The moment you allow pride to take root in your heart, it begins to shut down everything God wants to do in your life.

So, where are you on this triangle today? Are you living on the light side, climbing the mountain of humility, or are you sliding down the dark side of pride, caught in a cycle of offense and anger? The good news is that no matter where you are, God offers a way back to the light side. By humbling yourself before Him, you open the door for His grace to lift you up.

As we close this exploration of pride, I challenge you to examine your heart. Ask yourself, “Where do I need to let go of pride and embrace humility?” It’s not an easy journey, but it’s a necessary one if you want to live in the fullness of God’s purpose for your life. Remember, pride can either be the gate that closes off God’s blessings or the gate that swings wide open to all He has for you. Choose wisely.