First Class
The flight is full. At 26,000 feet, all of the passengers on this aircraft are far above everyone on earth. No matter which window you peer out of, you can barely make out the landscape below. If the plane were to go down, we would certainly all go down! Yes, I know: statistically, it’s safer in the back of a plane. But really? It is mostly all or nothing. So, while all of us are hovering above the earth and we’re all in this together, it’s an interesting phenomenon to observe First Class.On the front end, let me say that with long legs and big feet, I’m the first one to appreciate a good seat. I had an unusual moment of feeling claustrophobic during the first leg of our flight today. Halfway through the flight, my 6 ft 5 husband folded himself up into a pretzel and took the window seat, simply so I could move to the aisle and try to let the nausea pass. If I had the means to travel First Class after that episode, I would be grateful for the experience.What I struggle with is not the seat, but the attitude. We ended up on the first row of coach for this second leg of our trip. Medical equipment fills the overhead bin above us, so the flight attendant moved our carry-on to the first class area. Later in the flight, as I entered through the sacred curtain and arrived in the land of single digit row numbers, I was met with a cold stare. I politely apologized as I removed my bag from their bin… but you would’ve thought I’d interrupted the Queen of England by the glare looking back at my cautious expression.As I returned to my seat, I thought, “Surely, I wouldn’t act that way if I were seated in First Class!” Then it occurred to me that the prideful attitude I sensed may not rear its head while I’m sitting in coach, but how many times have I been so focused on myself that I’ve made someone else feel “less than”?All of us have environments where we feel confident and all of us have environments that make us feel less secure. The question is will I allow humility to define me in every environment… or will I allow pride to rear its ugly head? Pride is something that can destroy us from the inside out. In the gospel of Mark, he lists pride among evil things such as wickedness, adultery, and theft. Then Mark writes, “All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man” (Mark 7:23).We cannot be casual with pride. We must understand the poison that’s released within us when we elevate ourselves above anyone else. Very few people would see themselves as prideful, yet it lurks everywhere. I encourage you to identify where you elevate yourself above others. Is it among your relatives? Do you get puffed up among the other moms in your neighborhood? On the tennis court? In the workplace? Watching your child excel in a sport or class? Make a purposeful and specific plan of how you will respond differently when you’re tempted to elevate yourself again.May each of us purpose to walk in humility, no matter where we go. twitter | facebook