Pride and Prison

Here’s what Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson wrote as he reflected on the recent death of Watergate figure Chuck Colson.

“Pride is the enemy of grace, and prison is the enemy of pride.

Chuck Colson’s swift journey from the White House to a penitentiary ended a life of accomplishment — only to begin a life of significance. The two are not always the same.” 

 In life, there are many types of prison. Some we build ourselves:

• Self-medication through drugs or alcohol. 
• A co-dependent’s choice to live in denial rather than face a difficult realty. 
• The inability to break free of trying to meet someone else’s expectations.

Pride is our jailer. We’re unwilling to admit, “By myself, I am powerless to change,” or  “To become my true self I must tolerate someone else’s anger or disappointment.” Or, “Not I, but the Christ in me.”

Twenty years ago, an experience took away my pride and forced me to rebuild my whole sense of self. It was painful, as I’m sure Chuck Colson’s experience with prison was.  But with the help of God’s grace, I changed fundamental ways of thinking. Therapy, journaling, prayer, exercise, and friendship helped me become, not so much new, as real. The ‘real me.’ 

What about you? Are you in a prison of your own making?

What must you do to break free? 

I hope you will think--and pray--about your answer.