PRIDE: Hot and Crispy or Original Recipe?

"Pride Chicken", the term most people used when they are referring to "pride" as to lessen the impact of the word itself to the person whom they address this.

I just find it ridiculous whenever I hear people use this term for pride. Because I think it is really unfit. How can you relate pride with fried chicken in the first place?

Well, I never thought I can find connections until one day, I was ordering my favorite chicken meal at KFC, when the lady at the counter asked me this question:  Ma'am, what would you like to order, Hot and crispy or Original recipe? I was just amazed by the train of thoughts that suddenly occupied my mind. Indeed there are connections. So this version of ideas that I had created out from this instance is what I would be sharing in this write up. Please bear with me folks. . .

Let's start with the first idea:

1. Hot and Crispy - A hot and crispy fried chicken is really spicy that it oozes up our appetite to eat more. The crispness and the crunchiness of the chicken skin are inviting us for a tasty bite.

So what are the connections?

·         Pride is Hot.
   

Pride in relation to this is the feeling or the state of a spiced up life of a person, when his or her life is oozing up with achievements, recognitions, fame or even productivity. All are attributed to their talents and skills.

They lose the ability to believe in other people's potential because they are so full of themselves. They refused to delegate difficult tasks to others for fear of not meeting their expectations. With that, they are burning with conceit, wanting to achieve more regardless of how it will negatively affect others.

They fail to recognize the works or ideas of others because they think they are the one who deserve the recognition and appreciation. Without them, it seems like a certain project or activity will not prosper or succeed.

People with so much pride thinks they are the strong flavor in an organization or wherever they participates, because they are simply good in everything. Their abilities fires up to the highest degree and their ideas rises up to the highest level possible, so who does not need them? They had set their minds on this: They are "hot" when it comes to success.

Proverbs 21:24 (NIV)

“The proud and arrogant man- "Mocker" is his name; he behaves with overweening pride.”

·         Pride is Crispy.

Pride in relation to this is like a crispy chicken skin. When you eat it, you just don’t want to swallow it but enjoying too much of the crunchiness in every bite, you crave more of it.

People who are at the top or at the heights of their accomplishments, really enjoys too much appreciation. They take every bite of praise and develop a "crispy" high regard of themselves.

Because they are so consumed with their achievements, they tend to oppose corrections and it’s hard for them to handle criticism. They find it difficult even to accept their own mistakes.

      They don't want to swallow their pride and thinks that certain situation will just break it into pieces. Sometimes, they are in denial, that there is no existence of pride in them and reason out that if they committed mistakes, that's just part of being human. There's nothing that can be done to change or correct their character defects. Just blame it to the inconsistencies of the factors that lead into that circumstance or blame the incompetence of others.

Despite their failures, they still think they are better than others. They are supreme beings in their own point of view and they are not satisfied with what they have. They strive for what they do not have even at the expense of others.

Ecclesiastes 6:7-9 (NLT)

“All people spend their lives scratching for food, but they never seem to have enough. So are wise people really better off than fools? Do poor people gain anything by being wise and knowing how to act in front of others? Enjoy what you have rather than desiring for what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless- like chasing the wind.”

That’s Hot and Crispy pride. What about Original recipe?

2. Original Recipe - Of course, long before KFC served their Hot and Crispy chicken, their chicken legacy started with their famous "Original recipe" (It’s actually my favorite:-D). There's tenderness in the chicken flesh and juiciness in the chicken skin that will make you crazy eating until only bones were left in the plate.

So what are the connections?

·         Pride is the origin of all evil things.

Long before pride dominated the world, this actually became the reason for a rebellion in heaven. God's greatest worshipper, leader of the angels, Lucifer, turned his back and disobeyed God. Being so full of himself, he thought that he should also be worshipped. For his abilities and power, he thought he is already equal with God, and so he should not serve Him anymore.

He rebelled to God and God punished him. He was sent to earth to wait for the time of his eternal destruction. Lucifer, now named Satan is out in this world luring anyone to come with him into the place where eternal death is waiting.

Now, have you realized how a leader of the angels turned out to be the devil that he is today? That's because of pride. 

Matthew 4:8-10 (NIV)

“Again the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. All this I will give you, he said, If you will bow down and worship me. Jesus said to him, Away from me Satan! For it is written, Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”

You may not agree with the connections that I have written here, but for me, pride is something that we should not harbor deep within our hearts. It is not wrong to become an achiever or to be famous and to be recognized for what we had accomplished. What's wrong is becoming consumed with our own selfish ambitions and glorify our own being rather than glorifying the sole Giver and Provider of everything that we have, everything that we are. Remember that the talents and the abilities that we have are all gift from God and only His power can enable us to do everything. The Creator designed us for His great purpose. If we misaligned with that, then we are certainly bound for destruction.

I’m saying all of these not because I’m a wise person to give such instruction. I’m saying these from the bottom of my heart, from what I learned and continue to learn under God's discipline. I am also a proud person who is changing in humility because God is so gracious to me. I might falter again in this area, but because I’m holding on to God's mercy, I know I will be victorious. I had given up everything to Jesus, the blood on the cross, eternal life as substitute to eternal death. I don’t rely in my own strength anymore because God's strength rests in me. I am still a work in progress and with that, I thank God everyday for the patience that he has for me, seeing Christ in me and not who I am as a sinner.

John 10:10 (NIV)

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.

Let's follow the humility of Jesus, in which despite of his holiness and perfection, he lay down his life for us sinners so we will receive the everlasting life in heaven.

Proverbs 22:4-5 (NIV)

Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life. In the paths of the wicked lie thorns and snares, but he who guards his soul stays far from them.”

Want more of "Pride Chicken"? It’s up to you. . .

*ACEMIT* 08/06/2012