As I sat in service yesterday, my pastor said something that really got me thinking. He was speaking of the marks of a true christian and one particular phrase he used touched me immediately. He said as Christians, we must “pale in significance” . This phrase both inspired me and encouraged me. It led me to think, “What does that really mean?” and, “How can I perfect that in MY life?” To pale in my own significance means letting myself slide back so much so that wherever/whenever people look at me, all they see is Christ.
It means putting aside my pride, taking a step into the background to let Christ be on display rather than myself. What does pride do for me anyway? Sometimes even as a Christian, I can be so proud. Proud of my grades, proud of my popularity, etc. Being proud makes me think I’m better than someone else or, I don’t have to follow any rules. Pride will cause me to think that I don’t have to be nice to the kid who struggles in math. Pride will let me believe that it’s okay to ignore people who are “out” socially. But Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride comes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” This tells me, my pride will not only hurt those around me, but it WILL eventually catch up with me and hurt me as well. In John 15:5a, Christ clearly states, “I am the Vine; you are the branches…” This means I am NOTHING without Him anyway. So why WOULDN’T I want to give up my pride?
As I reflected on this simple phrase, I began to see that pride clouds up the BIGGER picture God has planned. The OLD me only wants to stay latched on to itself. But 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if ANYONE is in Christ, the OLD has GONE, the NEW has COME!” So this week, I will strive to “pale” in my own significance, and let Christ shine THROUGH me, making Him the true center of attention. I will let go of all of the “ME” inside and clothe myself in His grace. This will be yet another BOLD step towards my FABULOUS destination: obtaining the perfection of Christ.
To the KING!!
-Claire
The BOLD & The FABULOUS 
Clara Clara Clara!!!!! God NEVER amazes me THRU you…..PRAISE HIM!!! Sis, THIS is some CONFIRMATION from a conversation I had ealier… “Therefore if ANYONE is in Christ, the OLD has GONE, the NEW has COME!” You MUST SEE GROWTH b/c the OLD SHOULD be withering AWAY & the NEW SHOULD be appearing at SOME POINT??? SOME POINT???? Thank you sis b/c on another note of your blog WE as TRUE believers SHOULD have ppl SEE US & SEE GOD…(Something SHOULD b DIFFERENT about US) Yes, it’s TIME be become “PALE” in the way WE want to be WHEN we WANT to & Began making our FIRST PRIORITY to PLEASE GOD!! If that means putting aside US(PRIDE) THEN SO BE IT….THE END!!!!
S. Carter
I have struggled w/ pride. Still do at times. But the more I grow in Christ, the more I see it manifesting itself less and less. I praise God for that!! We often feel like so many of the things we obtain or do are b/c of our own strength, but the word is a CONSTANT reminder that we are not, so SIT IT ON DOWN!!! lol.
Thank you for touching on this topic that many people and believers a lot, don’t like to talk about or admit to. To the King!!
Pride is letting God take your heart and turn it toward positive things in life, and what you can do for others, take the focus off you and on God and you will not have to struggle with pride, his word is lead you to see things in a different light.
WOW… This is indeed a touchy subject; yet you have allowed yourself to “pale in significance” and allow the Holy Spirit to shine through! All I can say, then, is YEA and AMEN!!! Love you, sweetie…