The Ride of Pride

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Genesis 11:1-4 "Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, ‘Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’"

Think

"Let us make a name for ourselves." That is the Tower of Babel in four words. The first building project in Scripture was not about reaching God. It was about advertising self. The people of Shinar did not look up at the heavens and think, "We want to be closer to the Creator." They looked around at each other and thought, "We want to be remembered." They wanted fame. They wanted a legacy. They wanted their names written in a story that would outlast them. And God saw it and said, "No."

Pride is the first pig. I call it the first pig because it is the one that gets through the door before you even know the door is open. It does not knock. It does not announce itself. It just shows up, wearing a disguise that looks a lot like confidence. And technology has given pride the biggest stage it has ever had.

You cannot even say "social media" without saying "me." Think about that. The word is built right into the name. Social me-dia. And the entire architecture of these platforms is designed to put you at the center. Your profile. Your feed. Your followers. Your likes. Your brand. Every notification is a tiny hit of validation telling you that you matter, that people are watching, that your tower is getting taller.

I was on vacation with my family, and Landra snapped a picture of me standing next to a cigar roller lady in a little shop in Miami. When I looked at the photo, the first thing I noticed was that my triceps looked huge. I was wearing a black T-shirt from a mission trip to Africa. The shirt said something about humility, about serving. And I thought about posting it. I really did. The shirt communicated the right message. The location was interesting. But I caught myself. The real reason I wanted to post that picture had nothing to do with the mission trip or the message on the shirt. The real reason was because my arms looked great. That was it. Vanity dressed up as ministry.

I did not post it. But how often do we post without catching ourselves? How often is the real motivation not the mission trip or the sunset or the family moment, but the image we are building? A personal tower of Babel, constructed one post at a time. Brick by brick. Filter by filter. Hashtag by hashtag. "Let us make a name for ourselves."

There is a whole passenger list for the ride of pride. Captain Ned Narcissist, who cannot stop posting selfies. Susan Selfie, who is always looking for the right angle. Dana Destination, who posts every exotic location. Tim Trophy, who makes sure you see every accomplishment. We laugh at the names, but we are all on that flight. Every one of us has booked a seat on the ride of pride at some point. The only question is whether we recognize it and choose to get off.

Pride is putting yourself on the shelf that is only reserved for God. That is a definition I come back to again and again. God has a shelf. It is the highest shelf. And pride is the act of climbing up there and sitting down next to him as if you belong. Isaiah 14 describes the original ride of pride: "I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." Five "I wills." That is the engine of pride. I will. I will. I will. And every post that is secretly about building your personal brand is running on the same fuel. Social media tempts us to build a personal "thingdom" rather than advance God’s kingdom. Your thingdom is all about your accomplishments, your image, your reputation, your influence. God’s kingdom is about his glory working through your surrender. Those two things cannot coexist on the same shelf.

Paul warned about this in 2 Corinthians 10:12: "We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise." That is social media in one sentence. Measuring yourself by yourself. Comparing yourself with yourself. Building an echo chamber of self-commendation where the likes validate the tower and the followers fuel the climb. Paul calls it what it is: it is not wise.

The people of Babel wanted a tower that reached the heavens. God came down and confused their language. He did not destroy the tower. He did not need to. He simply disrupted the communication that was fueling the project. And that is often what God does with our pride. He does not destroy us. He disrupts us. He allows a moment of clarity, a flash of self-awareness, a conversation that exposes our real motives. He confused their speech. Sometimes he confuses our confidence, and that confusion is a mercy.

That picture of my triceps. I caught myself. But the catching was the gift. The moment of awareness, the pause between the impulse and the post, that is where the Holy Spirit does his work. Pride does not want you to pause. Pride wants you to post immediately, before you have time to ask why you are posting. Humility is the willingness to pause, to examine, to ask the uncomfortable question: is this about God, or is this about me?

We are all on the ride of pride. The question is whether we will take the exit ramp that leads to humility. The kind of humility Jesus showed when he washed the feet of the disciples. He did not tweet about it. He did not post a picture of the basin and the towel. He knelt down in silence and served. That is the opposite of Babel. That is the exit ramp.

Apply

Step off the ride – Scroll through your last seven posts on social media. Ask honestly: was each post about informing others or about promoting myself? If the answer is uncomfortable, that is where growth begins.

Pray

Lord, I am on the ride of pride more than I want to admit. I build towers with my posts and my profiles, trying to make a name for myself when you have already given me a name. Forgive my self-promotion. Teach me the kind of humility that comes from knowing who you are. In Jesus’ name. Amen.