The Misery of Pride

I’ve been listening to a lot of Dwight Yoakam lately because I went to see him here in Portland last week with my cousin. The concert was awesome, but I wish he would have sung a few more of his slower songs. Although it is not Christian music, I love his style, his voice, and how he can so perfectly capture the mood of the song he is singing.

I want to share one of my favorite Dwight Yoakam songs called 1,000 Miles from his 1987 album Hillbilly Deluxe. This is a very sad song, but I just love how it shows off his wonderful voice. I love the tremor in his voice when he sings “A thousand miles of misery-y-y-y-y-y-y-y.”

There is also a lesson in this song. The first verse says:

Runway Four, Flight 209
Teardrop falls, we start to climb
This window seat proved a poor choice
It shows the dream that’s been destroyed
A little baby starts to cry
Hey, I would too, if not for pride
I owe so much to pride, it’s true
It brought an end to me and you

As sad as this song is, as heartbreaking as the situation of the singer is, it doesn’t have to be that way. He is in misery because of pride. Because of pride, he has lost the one he loved, which is not surprising. As scripture says:

Pride goes before destruction,  a haughty spirit before a fall.
Proverbs 16:18 (NIV).

Pride brings a person low,  but the lowly in spirit gain honor.
Proverbs 29:23 (NIV).

The end of a matter is better than its beginning,  and patience is better than pride.
Ecclesiastes 7:8 (NIV).

How many relationships between husbands and wives, between parents and children, between brothers and sisters, or between friends are broken or lost because of pride? It prevents us from being forgiving, kind, and loving in our relationships, and keeps us from admitting our own faults and seeking forgiveness. It leads to a thousand miles or a thousand days of misery and loneliness.

What relationships are you jeopardizing today because of pride? It’s a question we all need to ask from time to time. May God help us all set aside our pride and leave misery behind.