It feels like I’ve had about a million road trips in life already. Do you feel the same way? And I’ve loved having good travel companions along the way. Adding the right ones makes a huge difference.

Having the right person to talk to, listen to, explore with, share the miles and memories, hardships and joys, secrets and sorrows, wins and losses, means so much. Who we roll with, who we ride with makes a huge difference.

Who do you love to travel with? Who loves to travel with you?

The Bible says that Pride loves to travel too, to come along with each of us. When it jumps in the car with me and becomes my travel companion in life, Disgrace secretly jumps in too. Its presence then manifests along the way. It has to. It’s inevitable. 

Pride and Disgrace partner all too well. When pride comes, then comes disgrace.

Disgrace feeds off pride. Disgrace can’t really exist without pride. So if I want my life to become disgrace-free, I must eliminate pride. Never make it my travel partner. 

It is bound to break me down, to never fully get me to where I really want and need to go. Pride puts me in a ditch of my own doing. The ditch is called disgrace.

Conversely, the Bible says that when Humility becomes my travel partner, Wisdom rides along too. Guaranteed. And what a partner for life Wisdom becomes! 

Wisdom allows me not just to learn from my mistakes, but even better, to learn from the mistakes of others and to learn from the Master. Experience is not as good a teacher as wisdom is (even though pride tells me it is). 

Wisdom is the best instructor and travel partner for life. The presence of humility, listening, and obedience allow wisdom to make its fullest impact in my life. Humility and wisdom are the travel partners I need for life. 

Bottom line: Practice pride, and disgrace is sure to follow. Practice humility, and wisdom is sure to follow. Who we ride with makes all the difference in the world.

Reflect: Which travel partner is getting greater road mileage with you lately — Pride or Humility? Do you really believe that pride leads to disgrace and that humility leads to wisdom? (If so, would you memorize Proverbs 11:2?) What can you do to give pride the boot today and create a more permanent seat and plenty of playing time for humility in your life?

A prayer to consider: Heavenly Father, thank You for every light beam You bring on how to navigate life. Your loving care and help amaze me. 

Deliver me from disgrace. I put to death my pride again today and choose to live in humility and selfless service to You and others. Fill me with Your wisdom. I need it for life. 

I don’t want to live just by experience. I want to humbly trust You and make Humility and Wisdom my travel partners for life … just like Jesus. Grant this by your Spirit for Your glory and my joy in You. Amen.