Pride at Work:
When the Desire to Be Seen Turns Deadly
Pride at Work:
When the Desire to Be Seen Turns Deadly
Isn’t it good to take pride in our work? So when does it begin to crowd out God?
Eliza Tan
Pride may not always be a bad thing.
When people take “pride” in their work, they take ownership of the work entrusted to them. For example, they may stay back after an event to check everything is packed and tidied, initiate meetings with stakeholders to discuss desired outcomes, or ask for feedback on how they can improve. Such examples of “pride” in work are praiseworthy.
Indeed, it can be godly and appropriate for us to take pride in our work, as the writer of Ecclesiastes says: “This is what I have observed to be good . . . to find satisfaction in their toilsome labour under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot” (Ecclesiastes 5:18, emphasis added).
This quiet contentment is similar to the first definition of “pride” from the Oxford English Dictionary: “A feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s achievements.”
can be pleasing to God when we recognise that such satisfaction is His gift (Ecclesiastes 5:19), and give thanks to Him for the gift of contentment.
can be pleasing to God when we recognise that such satisfaction is His gift (Ecclesiastes 5:19), and give thanks to Him for the gift of contentment.
Desiring God’s Position
There is, however, another meaning of pride that we’re probably more familiar with: “The quality of having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one’s importance.”
Such pride, synonymous with words such as
is the pride against which the Bible warns us. Christ’s disciples ought not to harbour such pride.
The Bible is clear that God abhors the proud (Proverbs 8:13). The apostles Peter and James tell us that “God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5; James 4:6).
Pride
represents our rebellion against God’s rightful position—that is, God enthroned and glorified in our lives.
Pride
represents our rebellion against God’s rightful position—that is, God enthroned and glorified in our lives.
When pronouncing judgment on the king of Babylon, the prophet Isaiah alluded to the fall of the devil, who yearned to be like the Most High God (Isaiah 14:13–14).
The devil proceeded to lure Adam and Eve through the same desire—to be like God—which led to the fall of man (Genesis 3:5–6).
Proverbs 16:18 tells us: “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” King Uzziah of Judah best exemplifies this. At first, he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but “after Uzziah became powerful, his pride led to his downfall” (2 Chronicles 26:16). He disobeyed the Lord by offering incense in the temple even though he was not a priest.
Although this example appears extreme, it shows how pride can lead us to disregard the boundaries God sets, to our own detriment. When we fixate on protecting our own ego, pride can be harmful in many ways. We could, for example, fall into selfish ambition, producing disorder at the workplace (James 3:16).
I’ve witnessed an example of such pride at my previous workplace. When two section leaders tried to outdo each other, it split the department and caused ugly accusations and complaints. Eventually, one of the leaders was asked to leave.
It’s easy to recount incidents of pride in our co-workers, if we search our memory. However, when I tried to examine myself, I had difficulty thinking of examples as quickly. Sometimes, we easily recognise pride in others, but find it difficult to identify it in ourselves.
Forgetting our Dependence on God
Our Daily Bread writer Winn Collier suggests that pride is the result of a good longing—wanting to be seen or noticed—that has twisted in an unhealthy direction: “Our desire can only be met through God’s abundant gifts,” he notes.
“Whenever we concoct a false image in order to grasp what we want, we push away the very love we so desperately crave.”
I used to be that self-reliant worker, taking pride in my own abilities and self-sufficiency. However, I was once so devastated by a mistake at work, I questioned my own judgment and lost confidence in my decision-making abilities. So I turned to God for help and began praying before doing anything at work.
From typing email replies to speaking on the phone or attending meetings, everything started with a prayer asking for God’s help.
I told God that I never, ever wanted to experience a similar episode again. I had never felt so weak. Yet, that season of my life left me very much aware of God’s presence and provision.
It was a painful reminder that faith goes far beyond daily devotion and into working hours.
One characteristic of a proud man is that “in all his thoughts there is no room for God” (Psalm 10:4). Such a person is a “practical atheist”, says theologian Tim Challies. Let’s take care not to be practical atheists at work, having no room for God in our mind.
Overcoming Pride
God not only warns us of the consequences of pride, but also teaches us how to resist and repent of it. Here are some ways we can do this.
| Take Time To Reflect | 01 |
Sometimes, we can be blind to the pride in our own hearts. To detect it, we need a dose of self-awareness, which we can cultivate by reflecting on our own behaviour in light of how God sees us.
Psalm 139 speaks of God who knows us intimately, perceives all our thoughts, and is familiar with all our ways. The concluding prayer in verses 23 and 24 asks for self-knowledge: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” We can pray this, asking God to reveal our pride to us.
The apostle Paul warns us: “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you” (Romans 12:3).
We need to soberly evaluate where we are, so that we do not become overly critical of ourselves nor too lenient. God will enable us to do this.
| Review How God Reveals Himself | 02 |
In a meritocratic society like Singapore, it’s easy to think that success is due to our effort alone. But it isn’t so.
In fact, much of what contributes to our success is not within our control—resources passed down the generations, abilities nurtured into talent, even things like our intellect. These are all gifts from God.
Who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? (1 Corinthians 4:7).
When Moses gave his final speech to the Israelites, he warned them not to forget the Lord who delivered them out of Egypt and planned to prosper them—lest they became proud and credited their wealth to their own efforts.
Moses reminded them to “remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:17–18). We can heed this reminder by considering how God enables us to work and nudges us to do better whenever we give in to sin.
| Give God the Glory | 03 |
Having redirected our thoughts to God, our natural response would be to give Him glory. This means praising God for His good gifts as we enjoy the fruits of our labour. As Deuteronomy 8:10 says, “When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you.”
Gratitude marks a believer who knows that God has provided. While it may seem unnatural or contrary to one’s nature to deflect praise and give glory to another, we bring delight to God and bear witness to Him when we genuinely acknowledge His blessing and enabling. We give glory to God by humbling ourselves under Him and submitting to His authority in our lives.
The antidote to pride at work is a healthy dependence on God for fulfilment, guidance, and empowerment.
May we continue to trust in His power to refine us and His perfect plan for every aspect of our lives—even our work.
Although Eliza Tan eats to live rather than lives to eat, she still enjoys her food and wholeheartedly agrees with Ecclesiastes 3:13, "That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God."
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