What's the big deal about who greets first?

Pride! A gradual destroyer

“Who does she think she is?

Why should I be the one to always greet her first?

Is it because she is pretty, fashionable and drives exotic cars to church?

Rubbish! I would never be the one to greet her first. Enough of that. She has to be doing that, and I would even hesitate to respond because I’m better than her, and I don’t give a hoot,” Nkechi soliloquized.

Sister Nkechi was battling in her mind (while she was seated in the church one Sunday morning) never to be the first to greet some sisters in the church because according to her “it had become a ding-dung thing."
 She was raised that way and now that she is ‘born again’ and a worker in the vineyard of God, she finds it difficult to let go her old self (pride). Did you say she is still very egoistic   because she is not yet broken? You are right as we are meant to understand that being broken is allowing self to die.

 It’s a pity that some of us sisters are battling with the same shortcoming of Sister Nkechi. Forgetting that the Bible frowns at it. Or is it not written in the Bible that when a person  is ‘born again’, old things are passed away and behold all things are new?  But in this case,  the old self of pride  is yet to pass away. 

Did you ask why should a mundane issue  as this be a topic to be written this week? Reason is that this very short coming of Sister Nkechi unfortunately is still hidden in some  of us like a die-hard virus. This let-her-be- the one-to greet me first  attitude is a hidden pride we seldom give attention to. It’s the short coming that the Bible describes  as one of the things that can defile a man. Do you doubt this? If yes, then you may need to read  Mark 7:15,  which says:  “there is nothing from within a man that entering into him  can defile him: But the things which come out of him. Those are the things that defile him”

Also in the same Mark 7:21-22 “For from within, out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, PRIDE, foolishness. All these evil things come from within…”

Have you seen that the Bible condemns pride?  It’s no big deal being the one to greet first. Or is greeting no longer reciprocal? If you have noticed this kind of  ego in you, don’t ignore it thinking it’s too mundane to be paid adequate attention to.  Let this die-hard virus which destroys one gradually  die!

Remember there should be no room for pride in chosen generation like us. Or what do you think?

Rejoinders are welcomed and well written ones would be published. Make it brief and straight to the point. Send your rejoinder to adanneamos@gmail.com

By Sister ADAEZE AMOS