As human beings we are prideful. We all want to be self sufficient. Isn't it annoying when someone who you think you are smarter than, tries to give you advice? In fact most of us are annoyed and offended when there is any question and judgment on our beliefs, and our actions. If we are less educated we call people who are smarter than us the out of touch intellectual elite, if we are the intellectual, we keep our pride by thinking... we understand the world better than others. It is a painful experience when our pride is attacked. People will argue a point to the death and not listen to reason, because pride will not let them be wrong.
I am by nature a prideful person. If I am not careful I often can get caught up in my own reasoning. I have a tendency to defend my every action. If I am questioned I tend to go into my lawyer mode. I have a defense and I turn the tables on whoever is questioning me and prove or defend my belief or my actions. In doing so I cause collateral damage first to the people I am interacting with and second I am feeding my pride. Now God has been revealing my pride to me especially over the past 5 years. I am much more aware of pride and the need for humility. I have a problem though. It is hard to be humble. I believe that God has given me the gift of wisdom, It is a gift to be able to hear clearly from God, but sometimes I become inpatient and I do something stupid, I react in a way that is hurtful and inconsiderate of others and displeasing to God. I feel shame, the great Joseph who is full of wisdom must save face. (there is supposed to sarcasm read into the great Joseph) My pride makes it very hard for me to admit shame. It is impossible to listen to God when we have a prideful heart and are hiding shame.
A couple days ago as I meditated on God and my Pride, I took note that much of the conflict that I have seen among myself and others, and others with others, there was usually one of more prideful participants, unwilling to give an inch. Either we give in and harbor resentment or, we hold fast to our guns till we have broken the other person. I realized there is a close relationship between pride and shame. They at first seem like two opposite ideas... but I noticed that wherever there is pride there is also shame. There is no separation of the two. Pride involves elevating ourselves above others and God. Shame happens when we fail. When we elevate ourselves above God an others it gets it into our head that we can do things on our own. And we will always fail. I thought it was interesting that the next day which was a Sunday the teacher talked about how it was necessary for Christians to have magnanimity. He defined that word with two words. Humility and Nobility. That really struck me because just the day before I had been thinking about the dichotomy of pride and shame, and there is another converse dichotomy of humility and nobility. Jesus was humble and noble... He humbly washed his disciples feet, and he nobly saved the whole world by sacrificing himself. Let us give our pride and shame up to the cross, and accept the life of humility and nobility.
I am by nature a prideful person. If I am not careful I often can get caught up in my own reasoning. I have a tendency to defend my every action. If I am questioned I tend to go into my lawyer mode. I have a defense and I turn the tables on whoever is questioning me and prove or defend my belief or my actions. In doing so I cause collateral damage first to the people I am interacting with and second I am feeding my pride. Now God has been revealing my pride to me especially over the past 5 years. I am much more aware of pride and the need for humility. I have a problem though. It is hard to be humble. I believe that God has given me the gift of wisdom, It is a gift to be able to hear clearly from God, but sometimes I become inpatient and I do something stupid, I react in a way that is hurtful and inconsiderate of others and displeasing to God. I feel shame, the great Joseph who is full of wisdom must save face. (there is supposed to sarcasm read into the great Joseph) My pride makes it very hard for me to admit shame. It is impossible to listen to God when we have a prideful heart and are hiding shame.
A couple days ago as I meditated on God and my Pride, I took note that much of the conflict that I have seen among myself and others, and others with others, there was usually one of more prideful participants, unwilling to give an inch. Either we give in and harbor resentment or, we hold fast to our guns till we have broken the other person. I realized there is a close relationship between pride and shame. They at first seem like two opposite ideas... but I noticed that wherever there is pride there is also shame. There is no separation of the two. Pride involves elevating ourselves above others and God. Shame happens when we fail. When we elevate ourselves above God an others it gets it into our head that we can do things on our own. And we will always fail. I thought it was interesting that the next day which was a Sunday the teacher talked about how it was necessary for Christians to have magnanimity. He defined that word with two words. Humility and Nobility. That really struck me because just the day before I had been thinking about the dichotomy of pride and shame, and there is another converse dichotomy of humility and nobility. Jesus was humble and noble... He humbly washed his disciples feet, and he nobly saved the whole world by sacrificing himself. Let us give our pride and shame up to the cross, and accept the life of humility and nobility.
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