When suffering and evil come our way, they’ll exert a force that either pushes us away from God or pulls us toward Him. The per­spectives we’ve cultivated between now and then will determine our direction.

Pride is the root of all sins, but historically most people have been ashamed of their sins, not proud of them. And that gives the hope of repentance and turning to Christ for forgiveness. But to commit or endorse sin (including greed, gossip, gluttony, and self-righteousness, as well as sexual sins) and then publicly declare pride in it, is not only sad, but frightening.