WEEK 8: Beware of Pride!

“The central feature of pride is enmity – enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen.  Enmity means ‘hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.’”  By just that statement, I do not consider myself to be prideful.  But President Benson, in his landmark address at General Conference in April of 1989 goes on to explain the many forms and labels enmity can take.

·       Easily competitive in nature

·       Pitting our will against God’s

·       Unable to accept the authority of God giving direction in our lives

·       Pit our perception of truth against God’s great knowledge

·       Not interested in changing our opinions to agree with God’s

·       Tempted daily to elevate ourselves above others and diminish them

·       Pitting our intellect, opinions . . . or any other worldly measuring device against others.  It is the comparison that makes us proud: the joy of being above the rest

·       Worrying more about man’s judgement than of God’s judgement

After reading these, I became a little concerned about my behaviors.  Often, I think I know and understand everything and don’t always remember that God has a greater perspective and an eternal knowledge of me – and everybody else.  What I see and the way I interpret things does not mean that is how they really are. 

“Most of us consider pride to be a sin of those on the top . . . There is, however, a far more common ailment among us – and that is pride from the bottom looking up.  It is manifest in so many ways, such as faultfinding, gossiping, backbiting, murmuring, living beyond our means, envying, coveting, withholding gratitude and praise that might lift another, and being unforgiving and jealous.”  Gossiping?  Faultfinding?  Murmuring?  Unfortunately, I do my fair share.  I will do what is asked of me, but I complain and murmur a lot more than I should.

President Benson continues:  “The proud depend on the world to tell them whether they have value or not.  Their self-esteem is determined by where they are judged to be on the ladders of worldly success . . . If we love God, do His will, and fear His judgment more than men’s, we will have self-esteem.”  I have pondered why I am doing the things I am doing.  Why do I go to school?  Work?  Young Womens?  Church?  Serve?  Why am I a wife?  A mother?  A friend?  Do I do it so others can see everything I can do?  

My motive should be to please God! 

There should be no other reason.  If I love God, then I love my fellowmen – my family, neighbors, ward members, etc.  “Our degree of pride determines how we treat our God and our brothers and sisters.” 

Yet there is hope.  There is a way to give up this pride.  President Benson suggests several ways:

·      Humility – meekness, submissiveness.  It is a broken heart and a contrite spirit

·       Esteeming our brothers and sisters as ourselves, lifting them as high or higher

·       Receiving counsel and chastisement

·       Forgiving those who have offended us

·       Rendering selfless service

·       Going on missions and preaching the word that can humble others

·       Getting to the temple more frequently

·       Confessing and forsaking our sins and being born of God

·       Loving God, submitting our will to His and putting Him first in our lives

We can choose to be humble in these ways.  It is worth a self-evaluation regularly to see if we are beginning to fall victim of this universal sin.  We needed to regularly check ourselves to become humble and willing to submit our will to God’s.  That is where we will find happiness, unity, and the love like Christ has for us.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1989/04/beware-of-pride?lang=eng