Here are a few of my favorites, and what I get from them:
• “Pride is essentially competitive in nature. We pit our will against God’s….The proud cannot accept the authority of God giving direction to their lives...The proud wish God would agree with them.” It can be hard to sincerely pray that God’s will be done in our life, when we have a picture in our head of how we want things to turn out. We have to remember that God is all-knowing, and He will bless us with what is best for us in the long-run, not necessarily with the things we want in the moment.
• “We are tempted daily to elevate ourselves above others and diminish them.” I think this is one of the ways pride manifests itself in marriage. I know I get caught up in thinking that what I want, or how I think, or my solution to a problem is the best (or “right” or “only”) one, which automatically makes my husband’s opinions, ideas, and acts “wrong.” This pits me against him, rather than having us work together as a partnership.
• “The proud make every man their adversary by pitting their intellects, opinions, works, wealth, talents, or any other worldly measuring device against others.” Pride is not just competitive, but also involves a strong element of comparison. It’s not good enough to accept ourselves and others as we are. We end up needing to place everyone in categories and basing our worth and theirs on how they measure up.
Once we begin to compare and compete with others, our focus shifts away from trying to please God and do His will.
• “The proud stand more in fear of men’s judgment than of God’s judgment. ‘What will men think of me?’ weighs heavier than ‘What will God think of me?’” Think of all the times you were concerned about what other people think, and how much energy was wasted! I have social anxiety disorder, so I understand being more concerned with what others think. It’s a hellish way to live, constantly worrying about how others might perceive my every word or action. When I re-focus on the Savior, and put my energy into doing what He wants me to, I enjoy greater peace and satisfaction in my life, and a huge decrease in anxiety.
• “If we love God, do His will, and fear His judgment more than men’s, we will have self-esteem.” This is another one that I can relate to. I want to feel good about myself and feel valued as a person, but my “natural” tendency to compare myself and worry about others’ opinions produces the opposite. I could search self-help books for weeks and never find advice that cuts to the issue as succinctly as this quote.
• “Pride is a damning sin in the true sense of that word. It limits or stops progression.” Wow. This one really made me stop and think. Is anything worth limiting or stopping my progression? Why would I ever want to hold on to such a damning sin? The truth is, I don’t. But, as President Benson points out…
• “Pride affects all of us at various times and in various degrees…Pride is the universal sin, the great vice.” This is something that we will all struggle with. It’s not just a problem for our spouse, our neighbor, our boss, or friend. It’s OUR problem also. The funny thing is, pride by its very nature makes us want to deny it and find ways to avoid confronting it. The first step in overcoming it is in admitting that it is a problem for us. Then we have to make a choice- choose to humble ourselves, or choose to hold tight to our pride. I know which one I want to do, and I know that I can with the Savior’s help.
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