On Sunday PB spoke about Pride and how there are two types. For those of us who have grown up in a church environment, this is not anything new. But also for those of us who have grown up in a church environment, reminders are always good.The Superiority version of Pride is the one that most people know and think of. The one in which someone thinks that he/she is always right or entitled to something or better than others. He/she can seem ridiculously full of him/herself at times. He/she cannot admit that he/she might be wrong or that someone else is right.
The Inferiority version of Pride is the one in which the person is constantly berating him/herself, always bringing him/herself down, etc. Some people confuse this with intense humility but really, it looks more like incredibly poor self-esteem (not that that is necessarily always the reason for the self-deprecation).
The issue in both of these situations is that there is too much of the Self and not enough of God/Others. Pride is the right category for both attitudes because both attitudes are self-centered/self-absorbed. Humility isn't thinking less of yourself; it's thinking about yourself less.
When PB reiterated this Pride dichotomy, it hit me hard: I am a really, really prideful person. Why? Because I suffer from BOTH ends of the spectrum and encompass none of the middle section of humility and healthy balance. I either think I am the Most Awesome Person Ever or that I have no utility and no value. My attitude is always me-focused.
I was aware of this before but I always thought I'd eventually grow up and learn some real humility. 22 years into this life, I am still far from humble. That's humbling.
2 eprops.
ReplyDeleteI had a similar conversation with a new friend that I made yesterday. Amidst all of our career (amongst other)-driven actions, how much of it is done for the glory of God, with Jesus in full view?
ReplyDeleteOn the one hand, we achieve so much in order ultimately rise to the ranks of greatness. On the other hand, within this journey there is an underlying question that I think should always be asked: Why am I doing this?
I think within everything that we do, we need to keep it in perspective. There is something huge out there. And we are a mere piece within the body of God. But what does this mean? It means that while you are a small part of the body, you are still a valuable asset within the body and by no means worthless. But by the same, you are not pertinent to the point where the survival of God's glory would be denied by your lack of existence. Yes, you may be a pretty awesome person and maybe even the best. But in the end, you're still a person bound by the limitations of the flesh, your mortality, and, in your case, you're your 88lb gibber gabber body. HA!