“Your boasting is not appropriate. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?” // 1 Corinthians 5:6

Over the years, one of my most consistent prayers has been this: God, show me what it means to be truly anchored in You and—therefore—confident in who You created me to be.

As a business owner, I’ve often begged the Lord to show me how to show up authentically and genuinely in the world with my God-given gifts, skills, and abilities without letting pride creep into any nook or cranny of my life.

In a world that emphasizes success, fame, fortune, and the grind (which I for too many years set my own eyes upon), I know deep within my bones that it is only by His hand that we receive the yeast needed to produce what we do.

Today’s First Reading from 1 Corinthians 5:1-8 is direct: boasting is not appropriate. How often have I felt the need to prove myself to the world? How frequently do I lean into self-reliance and away from a posture anchored in trust of His goodness for me? How often do I confuse worldly pride with holy confidence?

We often buy into the lie that little sins are just that, little—without effect, negligible, not a big deal. Yet we are reminded today that a little yeast leavens the dough. It is the seemingly little remnant of pride that breeds sin throughout our whole lives.

Saint Paul reminds us today to rid ourselves of all sin, especially our pride, to “[c]lear out the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough” (1 Corinthians 5:7). He encourages us to see ourselves as we truly are and become “unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:8). When we humbly steward the gifts we have been given with holy confidence and gratitude, we allow God to knead us into who He wants us to be.