Tag Archives: Pride

Humility, Fear, Riches, Honor, and Life

Humility

It is said that with pride comes the fall. I have been down that road and chances are, many of you have as well. Humility takes work. And if you are busy working on becoming a better person, when will you have the time for arrogance and conceit. Stay humble. Stay low to the ground. If you do have a fall, you will have a shorter distance to go, and it won’t hurt so bad.

The Fear of the Lord

The priest asked us to close our eyes, and then he asked a question. He said, “How many of you truly love God with all your heart, soul, and mind.” I raised my hand. I could hear others raise their hands as well. We put our hands down and were told to open our eyes. Then another set of questions came:

  • How many thanked God this morning for another day?
  • How much time have you spent in prayer?
  • God gave us one book, how much time do you spend reading it?
  • Do you give your first fruits or just whatever you have left over?

We were told to close our eyes again and the same question was asked. “How many of you truly love God with all your heart, soul, and mind?” My hand didn’t go up. I don’t think I was alone.

Break down the commandments and we essentially have two: Love God and love your neighbor. Follow those two, and you are good on the original ten. When I think of loving God, I also think of fearing God. Do I really fear God? If I did, would I live like I do now, or would I live differently?

Riches, Honor, and Life

Pride equals a fall.

Sin equals death.

Humility and fear equal riches, honor, and life.

A proud man wants to flaunt his possessions and abilities. He wants the world to notice him. Most likely, he will live above his means. He will cause others to loathe him. Those he offends would love nothing more than to see his demise. They may even try to bring it about themselves.

Once again, humility takes work. It is the work that brings riches, honor, and life. This is Thomas Stanley’s Millionaire Next Door. This is the one that has much but doesn’t draw attention to himself. This is the one that stays low to the ground and does the work.

The results of humility and the fear of the Lord is riches, honor, and life.

Proverbs 22:4

And the Credit Goes to… Someone Else

It was a brilliant idea. A couple of months later, someone else was taking the credit. It bothered me, because I wanted to be the one that got the accolades. All for what? Some stupid stuff that truly didn’t matter? But it was my idea! And, it got adopted. When it is all said and done, isn’t that all that really matters?

This idea was pulled out of the ether. There was no work involved to build it. There was no money invested into it either. It just happened to stick. That’s it.

What should I do now? My best move would be to let it go. Let the other person revel in their wittiness. It is pride that is holding me back. I have to relinquish the pride and control the ego. I have to move on and come up with more ideas.

By fixating on my injured pride, I am no longer being useful in the present. Instead I am wallowing in a past that might have been but really never was. To get more accomplished in this world, I have to be in the present moment.

Why is this a charity post?

It is charity in letting the other person take the credit that they feel is theirs. There is no need for it to become a petty fight. Our pride shouldn’t be so great that we sacrifice the happiness of those around us. It just isn’t worth it.

 

It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. –Harry S. Truman

Meditation: On Pride

I know I need to meditate more. Yesterday was day one. Ten minutes in the morning before leaving for the gym to meet a client. 10 minutes again sitting in the car before walking into work. Later that evening, I lost my focus and subsequently lost my temper. Now I am on the second day, and it needs to be better than the first.

I set the timer for 15 minutes. It is dark outside as I sit in my car in the parking lot. 15 minutes to meditate and then 5 minutes to walk into work. I close my eyes and sit. I try to center myself, but something is missing. Oh yes, my breath. In. Out. Why did I get angry last night? I should have known better. I should not have fell into the trap. In. Out. Pride. It was my pride. My pride was injured. It wanted to retaliate. My pride is me. Not some separate embodiment acting of its volition. My pride. My ego. I own it. No one else is to blame. Blaming others is the easy path. The wrong path.

My thoughts begin to drift. I think about work, about the things I need to do today. Something is not right. My breath. Focus on my breath. In. Out. Back to pride. Back to anger. How do I eliminate it? How do I become stronger? This pride, my pride, is a weakness. When it is in control, I am more prone to anger. Anger is bad. It leads me down the wrong path. It leads to stupid and rash decisions. It leads to thoughtlessness. Chaos.

What will I do this weekend? What will I read? Write? This is not the time to let the mind wander. Concentrate on the breath. Breathe in. Take in the oxygen, the life. Exhale the breath. Expel the pride. Like the Om, expel the pride. When the anger comes, the walls crumble. My defenses are weakened. A city unprotected. My walls are my strength. My protection.

In. Out. Courage. It takes courage to be strong. It takes courage to overlook a perceived offense. It takes courage to not retaliate. Courage, not pride. With courage is strength. Pride is weakness. Anger is weakness.

In. Out. The timer goes off. My mind is now focused on courage. My prayer is to have the strength to be courageous. The strength to put away pride and anger. One last breath in and then exhale. It is time to walk to work.

A city breached and left defenseless are those who do not control their temper. –Proverbs 25:28