For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Romans 12:3-5
According to the ancient Greek myth, the master craftsman Daedalus and his son Icarus were imprisoned by the king of Crete and locked into a tower overlooking the harbor. Daedalus crafted wings of leather and feathers held together with beeswax so they could escape. Before they flew, he warned Icarus not to fly too low, where the sea would soak his wings, or too high, where the sun would melt the wax. But thrilled with flight, Icarus ignored his father’s warning and soared higher and higher. His pride led him to disregard the limits he had been given, and he fell to his death when the wax melted and his wings failed.
Pride is not a new or hidden problem. Scripture repeatedly warns us against thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to think. Yet humility does not mean thinking less of ourselves; it means seeing ourselves accurately before God.
Pride blinds us to our weakness and our need for God’s help. Humility recognizes both and reaches for the grace God freely gives. Rather than defending an inflated view of ourselves, we should humble ourselves before God and gladly depend on His strength.
