Us Versus Them - Riding The Superiority Highhorse

The saddest character flaw I've personally witnessed is certain guy's penchant for gloating.  For it will serve to isolate him throughout the years of his life.  

Personally, the good that's come from recognizing this is how reticent it's made me as a Christian relative to transparency, particularly as it relates to my struggles with homosexual desires / lust / gay porn.  For I've found that transparency tends to open doors time and time again versus putting a bad taste in people's mouths.  Now, by saying that, it does not mean that I'm any less prideful than any other bloke.  Let's just say I realize how to keep that pride under wraps - most of the time.

Gloating is "dwelling on one's success or another's misfortune with smugness or malignant pleasure".

Some men love to gloat about sales successes in comparison to others (taking the opportunity to do this in front of almost anyone).  Others gloat about the "renewed success" of their church home versus other local churches.  Still others gloat about their favorite collegiate team's athletic successes whilst basking in the defeats of its rivals.  Some gloat about sportsmanship (hunting) successes.  And here recently, I've even seen guys gloat about the purported spirituality of the political candidates they support with gusto.

Gloating, for a handful of men, is sort of like breathing.  It happens without them even thinking about it.  And oftentimes, this is learned behavior that they've seen modeled by a parent.  Hence, it was normalized for them, and from there, simply became their own exercise in self-absorption.

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Gloating brings about feelings of superiority with an expectation that those listening in will too see the gloater as equally superior (buy in).  

Because most of us realize that these expectations are false, gloating typically is frowned upon within our culture and not something you see directly executed.  

Therefore, for most of us, we've learned to gloat indirectly through cultural (digital) machinations that are becoming more and more mainstream by the minute.  Machinations that justify their existence as vehicles of  "free speech".  And this gloating indirectly capitalizes on the back half of the definition from above.  That being:  "...or another's misfortune with smugness or malignant pleasure."  

Why would any Christian behave in such a way?  How might this possibly align with the gospel?  

Those are the wrong questions to ask.  

The better question is how might you fragrant your sphere of influence with the gospel if you're taking this approach?

You can't.  You won't.  Though you will come away feeling superior.  But that in no way synchronizes with your calling as a Christian.  For it is Christ who's superior.

Embrace humility in all things.  And never, ever lose sight of how quickly misfortune can and may very well come your way.