The Deadliest Sin

“The countervailing virtue to the greatest source of evil is not love, but humility.”  
-Pat Robertson
It occurs to me as I set out to write a book about pride and its countervailing virtue,  that this may be the most presumptuous thing I have ever attempted.  I mean, really – who could possibly be qualified for such a task?  It also occurs to me that perhaps the only safe way to discuss this rare virtue would be to begin with the disclaimer that I am not remotely close to being humble and therefore can only discuss humility from a cautious distance.  
This is the conclusion John Dickson came to about himself at the end of his great work Humilitas. “The very first step in the pursuit of humility is to recognize that I am not  humble.  This is excellent news—it means I must be on my way.”   
Even so, I still struggle with determining the best angle from which to approach this whole issue.  Does one really deal with humility by discussing its antithesis, arrogant pride?  If so, I find myself in a quandary.  How can I talk about pride with any integrity unless I admit my own?  So here I am, by nature, unqualified to breach an issue we are all likely quite desperately in need of breaching.  However, this flaw we share may be the only justification necessary for exploring it.  Our guilt, in this case, does not disqualify us.  On the contrary, it demands our attention!   Our becoming able, or even our willingness, to admit that we are prideful may end up being one of the greatest ends of this discussion.  Our relative inability or unwillingness to do so, or our refusal to see our own propensity for pride is precisely why it is called the deadliest sin.
You will find this to be a book of reflections about myself and observations of others known to me, some close to me, who have squandered superb giftedness and failed relationally in life because of never having given the question of their own humility, or the probable lack thereof, a second thought.  What follows has evolved out of years of watching leaders, especially, but not exclusively, in the church, become corrupted by their own insatiable desire for recognition and power.  They have missed the opportunity for true greatness in the eyes of God and as a result have become destroyers rather than builders of His Kingdom.  That, I believe, is the Mother of all Tragedies. These observations have led me to believe that humility is less a character trait and more a purposeful intent, or willful pursuit.  
Perhaps this book is actually my own quest.  In my mind’s eye, I imagine that you have joined me in the pursuit of this most elusive humble heart.  We will both be the better for searching together.  May God grant that we discover it.  
If you find yourself on the pages of this script, then I happily, refreshingly, welcome you to the club called humanity!  If you fail to see yourself here (or refuse), then my point has been made and I can rest my case.  The Humble Heart truly is an elusive one.  It is evasive.  But sadly, when it evades us, it is usually by our own choice – we failed to pursue it relentlessly.  
My hope is that you will not give up your quest, for I believe a humble heart, if there actually is such a thing, is truly worth the pursuit.  And succumbing to its antithesis is more than undesirable – it’s deadly!