Week 08: Beware of Pride

The heart of pride is enmity!

This took me some time to process. Pride is not just boasting, arrogance or stubborn behavior, it is having an inner hostility or hatred for someone else. My first thought to this was that, of course, I don’t actually hate anyone. But as I pondered it, I came to realize that-in fact- I do have less than friendly feelings for certain people around me.

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

President Ezra Taft Bensons talk titled Beware of Pride is fantastic. One phrase that really hit home with me was this one: “Pride is ugly. It says, “if you succeed, I am a failure!”

This statement hit me hard! As I reviewed thoughts and feelings I have had about those around me, this theme was one that came up more than once. About a year and a half ago, I was called to serve in a Young Women’s Presidency. Our stake was reorganized about three years ago and it was a tricky transition for some of us. When I was first called, I was excited to get to know the other women. But I soon came to realize that the President and I have some very different personality traits. Where I am patterned and organized, she is a free spirit and isn’t really a planner. I am a rule follower and she has a lot of gray areas. As I pondered this powerful talk, I realized that the consistent hostility that I have had is my problem. I am struggling with pride!

Thankfully, I have been praying for that I could overcome these feelings toward her. As I felt the Spirit guide me, I realized that maybe these impressions were the next level of movement that I need to make to overcome these feelings of hostility.

President Benson also said:

                “Pride is essentially competitive in nature. We pit our will against God’s. When we direct our pride toward God, it is in the spirit of “my will and not thine be done.” As Paul said, they “seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christs.” 

So now that I realize that pride may be an issue for me, what do I do? President Benson gives the answer:

              

  “Let us choose to be humble. We can choose to humble ourselves by conquering enmity toward our brothers and sisters, esteeming them as ourselves, and lifting them as high or higher than we are. 

We can choose to humble ourselves by receiving counsel and chastisement. 

We can choose to humble ourselves by forgiving those who have offended us. 

We can choose to humble ourselves by rendering selfless service. 

We can choose to humble ourselves by going on missions and preaching the word that can humble others. 

We can choose to humble ourselves by getting to the temple more frequently.

We can choose to humble ourselves by confessing and forsaking our sins and being born of God. 

We can choose to humble ourselves by loving God, submitting our will to His, and putting Him first in our lives.

Let us choose to be humble. We can do it. I know we can.”

Humility is the key! But as President Benson says, it is a choice. When it come to making any relationship a happy one, it is the most important choice we can make.