PRIDE

Its easy to assume by the title of my blog, that I struggle with pride. Like, REALLY struggle. As I was saying my personal prayers the other night, the thought came to me to study about pride. Now because I am so prideful, it took me a few days before I actually decided that I would do that. Well, I did and I am so grateful. When I was in high school, my wonderful seminary teacher shared a talk from 1989 titled, "Beware of Pride" by Ezra Taft Benson. I remember this talk having an affect on me, so it was the first place I turned to. 

I experienced some hard things this week in my mission that I honestly never expected would happen. I was in an accident where I was rear ended by another driver. During the process of trying to understand what had happened, I found myself being extremely selfish. President Benson said, "Selfishness is one of the more common faces of pride. 'How everything affects me' is the center of all that matters—self-conceit, self-pity, worldly self-fulfillment, self-gratification, and self-seeking."

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"Pride adversely affects all our relationships—our relationship with God and His servants, between husband and wife, parent and child, employer and employee, teacher and student, and all mankind. Our degree of pride determines how we treat our God and our brothers and sisters. Christ wants to lift us to where He is. Do we desire to do the same for others?"

This was a slap in the face. Of course I need to seek beyond myself and work on serving others. When we serve others, we are much happier. This is when our true character is revealed. Needless to say, it is my new resolve to do better and be better. I desire to try and overcome my pride. I know that the best way we do this is when we serve other. Just like President Benson said, "Christ wants to lift us to where He is. Do we desire to do the same for others?"

President Benson tells us that pride is the universal sin. It something that EVERYONE needs to work on. Let us ALL resolve to do better and do as Benson says, "Let us choose to be humble. We can do it. I know we can."