Drop the E-Bomb!

Theme: Drop the E-Bomb!

Verse: Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18)

Spanish Proverb: Tell me what you brag about, and I’ll show you what you lack.

Pride is a difficult thing to manage. Unfortunately, it is part of our human nature. Often, we slip into a prideful nature without warning and unbeknownst to us. When we do so, it is known as dropping a Pride Bomb.

Pride Bombs can go off in the form of one-ups-man ship when sharing stories (especially true in the military). They also can go off when competing in or training for a race and we reach a personal best or a significant milestone. Or possibly if we do something fantastic in school or on the job. There is a fine line between sending encouragement to others through your example (communicating that they too can reach their goals) and bragging about how awesome we think we are.

God wants us to be humble in all that we do. We see it is postgame interviews a lot. The athletes we respect the most are the ones who, even though they say hit the game-winning grand slam, does something like gives credit to the three teammates that got on base allowing a grand slam to be possible.

Any time you feel the urge to use the pronoun “I” or “WE” in a sentence describing a time when something went well, stop for a moment, consider those around you that contributed to the success. Then, instead of dropping a PRIDE BOMB (I am / WE are great!), try dropping an ENCOURAGEMENT BOMB (or E-Bomb). Turn the accolade around by using “YOU” instead! Chances are there are many contributing factors to every success so it should be easy to find a way to provide genuine praise for members of your group or team.

Encouragement to others can be transformative in a world where many people struggle with self-worth. Help be part of the solution and drop a few E-Bombs whenever you can.

Have a GREAT Week!

Adapted from True Competitor by Dan Britton and Jimmy Page