Puerto Rico. The weather is warm, the beaches are beautiful, and the people have such a sense of pride…. Sounds pretty good, huh? To be in the midst of a gorgeous country full of proud people? But in Puerto Rico that pride runs deep. People are proud of their heritage, their flag — they are PROUD TO BE PUERTO RICAN.
On the surface, this seems harmless enough. Some may even argue that it’s a good thing. But what happens when pride becomes the central focus of your country, your community…of your life? There’s nothing wrong with being a proud people, right? It’s a good way to be! National pride, pride in the colors of your favorite sports teams — these things are common in many places across the globe. So then, why is pride a sin? The Bible teaches us that God hates pride (Proverbs 8:13), Christianity tells us that pride is a product of loving this world instead of God (1 John 16), and one of the evils Jesus Himself lists is pride (Mark 7:22).
“Surely He must have meant a different kind of pride,” we say. “Surely there’s a ‘good pride’ and a ‘bad pride.'” But is there? Pride is the very sin that led Lucifer to rebel against God (Isaiah 14:12-15). It’s what ultimately led to God casting His most beautiful, His most loved and decorated angel out of Heaven (Ezekiel 28:12-19). Some spiritual leaders and theological experts even believe most (if not all) sins can be traced back to pride.
Puerto Ricans are a very proud people, and they liken themselves to the most proud of all the beasts in the animal kingdom: the lion. You see, Puerto Ricans identify with the traits most often associated with lions: being brave, being willing to fight (specifically for territory), and being fierce hunters. But if you look at Scripture, these are the very things Jesus warns us against.
Being brave – I don’t think it’s possible to be Puerto Rican without being brave. These people were invaded by conquistadors back in the 1600s, they were involved in the slave trade, and now many of Puerto Rico’s men and women are slaves to alcohol, drugs, prostitution, and many, many other evils of the world. They’ve had to be brave, and God does tell us throughout the Bible to be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:9, Psalm 27:14), but prideful bravery is something that often keeps us from giving our burdens to Jesus as He invites us to do (Matthew 11:28). If you’re Puerto Rican, you have to take care of yourself. You can’t seem soft. You’ll be eaten alive by one of the other many lions prowling around if you do.
It seems Puerto Ricans (like many of us) put their faith in themselves, in their own abilities. God wants us to trust in His abilities, though. He wants us to put our faith totally and fully in Him (Psalm 42:5).
Further, God tells us, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). That doesn’t seem to leave much room for prideful bravery, a trait that leads us to say, “I don’t need help, God. I got this. I’ve weathered storms before…you go help someone else now, because I’ll be okay.” (this, as we’re drowning in debt, marital problems, problems with our kids and their schooling, depression, stress at work or inability to find work…)
Being willing to fight – If anyone knows how to fight, it’s Puerto Ricans. They fight ever day in some way: to find jobs, to support their families…to simply live and raise children in these poverty-stricken communities is a fight. The men of Puerto Rico really know how to fight. If someone steals your girl, you don’t just sit there and pout about it. You pay the guy back – many people have been shot and killed this way. For those caught up in drugs (and tons of Puerto Ricans are caught up in drugs in some form or another), asserting your dominance and fighting for your territory is a way of life. There is a street in Ponce, Puerto Rico that even the tourists are warned not to go down, no matter the time of day. Two tourists (both men) decided to trek up that street one day. They were forewarned that it was an area guarded by a drug gang, but they decided to check it out anyway. They were later found dead.
This exemplifies just how territorial Puerto Rican drug lords are. They will really fight, even when there isn’t really a threat.
This is completely contradictory to what Christianity teaches us. Yes, Paul told us to fight the good fight (2 Timothy 4:7), but that was a metaphor for the Christian pursuit of God. I would also argue that his definition of “good” is quite righteous; thus, a “good fight” would be quite righteous too.
No, when it comes to fighting in the worldly sense, Jesus tells us not to engage or even stand up for ourselves: “Do not resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles.” These are the most humbling, least prideful things a person could do, and yet these are the things Jesus calls us to do as Christians. And even though actually doing these things would be difficult beyond belief, He’s clearly telling us that extinguishing pride AT ALL COSTS is the path that leads to God.
Being fierce hunters – Many of the people caught up in drugs and prostitution in Puerto Rico aren’t doing it because they love drugs. They’re doing it to support their families. That is how desperate they are, but what they’ve ultimately done is put their faith in drugs and money instead of God.
From the very beginning (all the way back to Genesis), God teaches us that He is our Hope and Provider and that we need not and (according to Jesus) should not rely on our own abilities, knowledge, intelligence, or resources. For the Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away (Job 1:21), and what would we do if these things were ever taken from us? How then would we survive?
We wouldn’t. Or if we did, we wouldn’t last long. Jesus wants us to put our trust in Him, for we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).
Puerto Rico has a lot of serious problems lurking beneath the surface of her beauty, and all those things that seem innocent may not be so innocent after all. But Jesus is her hope. He (not pride) is the hope for us all.
Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again — my Savior and my God! – Psalm 42:5
