Pride is, as C.S. Lewis said, "the great sin." So many problems stem from pride. When we are trying to accept the person we are designed to become, we are vulnerable to pride. When we finally see how life is supposed to go and how our relationship with God is supposed to be, we are tempted to puff up our chest with pride.
Over and over we are told that, as humans, we are designed to become more humble over time. Our task is to comprehend enough of the human to God relationship that we have no other option but to be humble and serving.
Beyond humility, what else are we designed to become. There are plenty of caricatures of Christians that we see in movies and TV ... surely we are not designed to be like that, right? Let's try on some terms and see how they sit with you: loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and controlled. Does anyone want to be like that ... yep!
As we begin to accept the person that we are designed to become, it is critical to throw off those deep idols and concentrate on the relationship that will make us be loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and controlled. As humans, if we are striving to live for money, power, comforts, and acceptance from others, then we are on a road to frustration, anger, and anxieties. The natural order is for us, as humans, to become more loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and controlled. If this sounds a bit like a hippie poster ... well so be it.
There are many who have hijacked the Christian faith and have established an image of intolerance, injustice, judgmentalism, and a lack of kindness to others. This is a great tragedy. The Christian faith is quite the opposite. When you look in the Bible you see a clear image of who we are designed to become. We cannot get there through our own actions and efforts. We all need an ever-present relationship with God to help us grow. But, as we grow, we become the people we are designed to become. As this happens, others will notice how we have accepted our designed nature of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.