The older I get, the more I find one particular character trait more attractive than in my younger years. As a matter of fact, I might have mistaken it for weakness when I was younger, but now… now I marvel at it. That character trait is humility. As someone who wrestles with pride, I not only love seeing humility in others, but want it to be part of who I am. In my own life, I am finding that humility swallows pride. Whole.

Recently, one of my favorite people in ministry, Tara Leigh Cobble, creator of The Bible Recap, shared her plan to combat pride as she gains success. Through her short, daily podcast, God is bringing hundreds of thousands of people to read through the entire Bible. Tara Leigh was on a leadership podcast earlier this year talking about how easy it is to let entitlement creep in as a leader who is flourishing. She said when other people start treating her as though she matters more than others, it’s easy to start believing it. Tara Leigh decided she didn’t want entitlement and arrogance to slither into her life and ministry, so she made a plan to combat it. She told the interviewer that one of her spiritual goals for herself is to let every person who needs to merge in traffic merge with her full blessing.

She said, “That entitlement, that ‘I’m the king of the road’ is arrogance. Every day I’m presented with multiple opportunities to die to self, to consider others more important than myself, and just let them merge.”

I won’t even put a “Jesus fish” (ichthus) on my car because I drive too aggressively. So, this highway version of humility got my attention. How many of us who claim Christ would lose our witness if the vehicle we used to share Christ was our driving? Me. I would.

Another person who has taught me so much about humility was not only “king of the road” but an actual king, King David. I never tire of studying the life of David. He gives us a front-row seat to both the beauty of humility and the hideousness of pride.

David wasn’t exactly a shoo-in to be anointed king (at least by human standards). When God sent the prophet Samuel to Bethlehem to anoint one of Jesse’s sons to be the future king of Israel, Jesse brought forth his seven oldest sons wondering just which of them God had chosen, but God chose none of them. Finally, Samuel, probably a little confused, asked if Jesse happened to have any additional sons. Jesse said, “There is still the youngest, but he is tending sheep.” David was clearly an afterthought to his father when it came to which of his sons would be anointed king by God (1 Samuel 16:1-13). Humbling for sure.

In the following years, the Lord was with David, and David sought the Lord in all he did. He conquered Goliath, enemies fell at his feet, and David reacted to his success with humility. Even in his early years as king, David would respond to the Lord’s generosity with a total lack of vanity saying, “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family that you have brought me this far?” (2 Samuel 7:18). Everything God gave David, David returned in praise to the Lord.

But after David had been king for a few years, he seemed to be at home in the palace. So at home, in fact, the great warrior king stayed in his palace while his army went to war. David’s humility was replaced by entitlement. One evening he entitled himself to the beautiful wife of one of his best soldiers who was away at war fighting honorably on his behalf. David already had several wives and concubines by this point, but he was not satisfied. His awe at all God had given him turned to taking whatever he wanted for himself, regardless of the hurt it caused others (2 Samuel 11:1-17).

David became so arrogant and prideful that he took another man’s wife and then had the man killed in order to cover his sin.

God did not allow David’s sin go unanswered or unpunished. However, where the story goes next is surprising and it is forever etched on my heart. And it’s not even about David or what we can learn from his arrogant response to success. Although I said I love studying the life of David, more accurately, I love how studying the life of David shows me more about the character of God. If the way David conducted himself at the height of his success is a warning, the way God responded is a comfort.

As God was dealing with David and his sin, He recounted the lengthy list of all He had given David. Then God said, “And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more” (2 Samual 12:7-8). It’s so…unexpected. I thought the Lord was going to go on a tirade against David because of his great sin but instead, He moved closer to him. It’s as if God said, “There is no limit to what I will give you, but you must remain in me. You cannot use my blessings to sin.” The first time I ever read this passage I was overwhelmed by His goodness. I can hardly grasp the depth of His love. That is the God we are dealing with.

“I would have given you even more.” God’s response to David tells us that we don’t want to operate in humility merely so we’ll be tolerable to other people (although that is definitely a positive by-product). Instead, operating in holy humility and walking lockstep with the Lord where He has placed us may prompt God to give us more.

Isn’t that ironic? If we operate out of arrogance and entitlement, seizing all we can, we risk losing out on the more God wants to give us. It’s as if He wants to give us even better gifts than we can grab for ourselves.

And refreshingly, God’s response to David tells us that He still wants fellowship with us even when we have missed the mark. If we’ve let pride and self-promotion take the lead, we can repent and be restored to God. The generosity and grace of God is unfathomable.

I want whatever “more” God has for me, don’t you? May we be challenged to turn every success into an opportunity to worship the Giver of good things and guard against arrogance and entitlement.

“Pride leads to every other vice: It is the complete anti-god state of mind…. It is pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began.” C.S. Lewis

Dear Lord, please reveal to us any sinful pride in our lives so that You may remove it. Let us not race to be first, seek to be adored, or focus on ourselves. May we return every success You give us in praise to You. May we exalt You and not ourselves. Thank You for forgiving us and restoring us when we walk in pride. Your mercies are new every morning. We love You, Lord. Maranatha! Amen.