The Root of the Problem
One
The Root of the Problem
Let’s begin with the vice we all suffer from: Pride. Pride is the decision, sometimes subtle, sometimes explicit, to say, “I don’t need God. I can do this on my own. I will do it my way.” But that is not reality. God is the one from whom you receive your identity, your worth, your peace, and your happiness. He is the source of your life and the one who holds everything together in wisdom and love. And the moment you stop receiving from Him, something else has to take His place.
That something… is you. This is where everything begins to collapse. Because when you take God’s place, you take on a burden you were never meant to carry. You become like Atlas, trying to hold up the entire world on your shoulders. Your life. Your future. Your reputation. Your family. Your success. Your happiness. Everything now rests on you.
At first, it feels like strength, “I’m in control. I’ve got this.” But it doesn’t last. It turns into pressure. Anxiety. Feeling overwhelmed and angry. Because you are not strong enough to carry the weight of the universe. And you were never meant to. Pride is when we replace God with ourselves as the source of our identity, worth, happiness, security, and peace. But we cannot sustain that. And when we collapse under the weight of it, we reach for the things of the world to cope, and that’s where the seven deadly sins begin.
Two
Vanity is the first Coping Mechanism of Pride
Once you try to become the source of your identity, happiness, and peace, you cannot sustain it. And when you begin to collapse under the weight of it, you reach for something to cope. That’s where the other sins appear. They are not random; they are coping mechanisms. Of which Vanity is the first, where I need someone else to tell me I’m enough. Vanity takes a good desire, to be seen, known, affirmed, and fully accepted, and distorts it.
That desire can only be fulfilled completely by God. Others can love and affirm us, but not perfectly, not constantly, and not enough to form our identity. So when we look to people for what only God can give, it is never enough. And we become enslaved, seeking more and more approval, chasing praise, and becoming controlled by the opinions of others.
How do I know if this is in me? Do I need to be praised to be happy, and am I unsettled by criticism? Do I adjust myself to be liked? Do I think often about how I’m being perceived? Only God can give the personal affirmation we truly need. So, the solution is to receive that from Him first, and then live freely: do what is praiseworthy rather than seeking praise.
Three
Envy is the second coping mechanism.
If I have to be the source of my identity and worth, then your success becomes a threat to me. That’s where envy begins. Envy is sadness at another’s good because I experience it as a threat to my own worth. It makes me sad when you succeed and subtly glad when you fall, because your success reveals my limits.
Envy lives off a lie: that there is not enough good to go around. So if you rise, I fall. But that’s not reality. All good comes from God, and it is not divided by being shared. Your good does not diminish mine, it reveals the abundance of God.
The cure is not just to “be nice,” but to be re-rooted. My identity must come from God, not comparison. Then I can choose to rejoice in your good, not as a threat, but as something I can genuinely share in.
Love says, “Your good is my good.” Envy says, “If you rise, I fall.” Freedom comes when I see that your good and mine both come from God, and neither can take the other away.
Four
Sloth (Acedia) is the third coping mechanism
God invites us to holiness, but if I have to become holy by my own strength, then the life God calls me to feels overwhelming. That’s where sloth begins. Sloth is not laziness. It is a sorrow, a resistance, even a quiet resentment, that God has placed this demand of holiness on me. It arises when I treat holiness as a burden I must carry, rather than a life I am meant to receive. So instead of rising to it, I turn away from it.
Sloth lives off a lie: that the life God calls me to is too much, that it will cost more than it gives. So I avoid it. I delay. I distract myself. Not because I don’t want happiness, but because I’ve lost sight of where it is found.
So I escape into busyness, distraction, and entertainment. Not because I’m lazy, but because I’m avoiding the very thing that would make me fully alive. But that’s not reality. God does not call me to carry the burden of holiness alone. He calls me to share in His own life, and He gives the grace to live it.
The cure is not to try harder. The remedy is to let God fully into our lives so that he can live through us, so that he can achieve holiness for us. And one of the best ways to let God fully in is by getting our lives in order by a rule of life, a recipe of life which puts God at the center and everything else in its proper place.
Five
Humility
If pride is the decision to make myself the source, then humility is the decision to receive everything from God. Humility is not thinking less of myself. It is living in the truth: that God is God, and I am not. Pride says, “I have to hold everything together.” Humility says, “God holds everything together, and I receive from Him.”
Humility corrects the root lie: that my identity, worth, and security depend on me. But that’s not reality. God is the source of my life and my happiness. He governs all things with wisdom and love. I do not carry the weight of my life. I receive it. God carries the weight of the world. God governs my life. God loves those I love more than I do. Because of that, I can live in peace, not because I am in control, but because God is. The decision is simple: step out of the role of Atlas and return to reality.
Name where you are carrying what is not yours. Reject the lie. Surrender it to God. Say, “Lord, You are God. I am not. I trust You.” And then live from that place. Because when God takes His rightful place, everything else falls back into order.