A friend of mine who is a minister wrote "12 Questions to Probe Your Pride" a few years ago in a church bulletin. I saved it and recently came across it again. He gave me permission to reproduce parts of the article here.
Have you ever left a meeting with a feeling of enlightenment...based upon something you said during the meeting?
In your conversations, does the subject always somehow turn back to you? (This one is hard for me.)
Do you ever feel the need to namedrop in order to spice up a conversation?
Are the qualities you most admire in God the ones you find most prominent in yourself?
Are you very aware of and offended by others who are extremely arrogant?
Do others eve say to you, "You're not really listening to what I'm saying"?
Do you find yourself struggling to be interested in peopel with whom you have little in common?
Do you feel privately delighted when your rival has performed poorly in a public setting?
Do you find yourself unable to relate to teh Bible's warnings against pride because they're not relevant for your life?
Have you ever been dumbfounded by a serious error in personal judgment that led to unforseen problems in your life?
Do you frequently find yourself frustrated by the lack of interesting, talented, or intelligent people around you?
Do you find yourself being angry at God when circumstances don't go your way, as though God should protect you from such disappointments?
Look through those questions several times. As I typed them, I felt convicted several times. What about you? Where do you struggle with pride?
Showing posts with label Pride. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pride. Show all posts
Friday, November 18, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
An Indication of Pride
We all make mistakes. No question, there are times when you mess up in your workplace, no matter how good you are at what you do.
Here's the question then: how easy is it for you to apologize? When you realize that you were the one who dropped the ball on a team report, do you admit your mistake and apologize to the people that were affected? When you miscalculate a bill that costs a customer money, do you apologize and make it right? The other response, of course is to either cover it up or make excuses.
Why is this important to think about in the context of faith in the workplace? Because one of the main reasons that it can be hard to apologize to someone is our pride. An apologize is an acknowledgement of our own shortcoming. It's admitting that we can't do everything perfectly. And sometimes our pride makes us want to appear to have everything together.
God is very clear that pride is a sinful attitude. Look at the last few weeks. Do you need to apologize to anyone? Yes, it may be awkward if it's out-of-character. Yes, other people may take advantage of showing weakness. But it's a great way to submit yourself to God and get rid of pride.
Here's the question then: how easy is it for you to apologize? When you realize that you were the one who dropped the ball on a team report, do you admit your mistake and apologize to the people that were affected? When you miscalculate a bill that costs a customer money, do you apologize and make it right? The other response, of course is to either cover it up or make excuses.
Why is this important to think about in the context of faith in the workplace? Because one of the main reasons that it can be hard to apologize to someone is our pride. An apologize is an acknowledgement of our own shortcoming. It's admitting that we can't do everything perfectly. And sometimes our pride makes us want to appear to have everything together.
God is very clear that pride is a sinful attitude. Look at the last few weeks. Do you need to apologize to anyone? Yes, it may be awkward if it's out-of-character. Yes, other people may take advantage of showing weakness. But it's a great way to submit yourself to God and get rid of pride.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Clothe Yourself with Humility
1 Peter 5:5-7
It's interesting to think about Peter writing on humility. The descriptions of Peter in the gospels are not exactly images of humility. He seemed brash and impulsive. And yet by the time he wrote the letters for which he is known, Peter had changed. He understood that Christians needed to submit to others, to avoid pride, and lively humbly.
Humility is hard in our society. We're taught to "look out for number one." After all, it's a "dog eat dog world." Pride even pervades our thinking about spirituality. I'm sure you've heard that "God helps those who help themselves" (that's not anywhere in the Bible, by the way).
Joni Eareckson Tada notes that Peter, as he wrote these verses, probably had Jesus in mind , wrapped in a towel as He washed the disciples feet. That experience likely helped Peter to picture someone "clothed" in humility.
Is that how people would describe you? If someone asked your coworkers about your behavior, would they comment that you were humble? It's a pretty sobering thought because it's completely counter to what we're told should be our attitude in the workplace. It was probably just as countercultural in the first century as it is in the twenty-first. God doesn't promise that He'll give us promotions, raises, and career success. He just promises us life in Jesus.
But verse 7 explains why we don't have to worry about being prideful--"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." When we're prideful instead of humble, everything is all about us. Peter is telling us that it doesn't have to be. Peter is saying that really, it's all about Jesus.
It's interesting to think about Peter writing on humility. The descriptions of Peter in the gospels are not exactly images of humility. He seemed brash and impulsive. And yet by the time he wrote the letters for which he is known, Peter had changed. He understood that Christians needed to submit to others, to avoid pride, and lively humbly.
Humility is hard in our society. We're taught to "look out for number one." After all, it's a "dog eat dog world." Pride even pervades our thinking about spirituality. I'm sure you've heard that "God helps those who help themselves" (that's not anywhere in the Bible, by the way).
Joni Eareckson Tada notes that Peter, as he wrote these verses, probably had Jesus in mind , wrapped in a towel as He washed the disciples feet. That experience likely helped Peter to picture someone "clothed" in humility.
Is that how people would describe you? If someone asked your coworkers about your behavior, would they comment that you were humble? It's a pretty sobering thought because it's completely counter to what we're told should be our attitude in the workplace. It was probably just as countercultural in the first century as it is in the twenty-first. God doesn't promise that He'll give us promotions, raises, and career success. He just promises us life in Jesus.
But verse 7 explains why we don't have to worry about being prideful--"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." When we're prideful instead of humble, everything is all about us. Peter is telling us that it doesn't have to be. Peter is saying that really, it's all about Jesus.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Pride and "Empire-Building" at Work
I really appreciated a recent post by Hernando, talking about "empire-building" at work. He describes empire-building as being blessed with certain talents and then working to make sure that you are the only one who has those particular talents. If you're a great accountant, you might go around making sure that everyone where you work knows that you're the only accountant who can do the work that you do. If you're a computer programmer, you might position yourself so that no one else can do the things that you do. The problem is both pride and focus. Pride in your talents rather than the One who created those talents in you. And focus on yourself rather than on Jesus.
Hernando draws from Micah 6:8 as God instructs the Israelites to "walk humbly with your God." A concordance search reveals verse after verse where God's people are told to humble themselves before Him.
How are you at work? We are told to do quality work--it's not that you shouldn't do admireable work. But remember that you do that work because of the talents God gives you. Ultimately, your very life is from God.
I really like the way that God approaches Job, how God describes all of His accomplishments to Job (laying the earth's foundations, showing the dawn its place, etc.). Think about that in the context of your work. Sure, you landed a big client. But how are you at binding the stars (38:31-32)? What about leviathan wrestling (41:1-34)? It's an interesting perspective on accomplishments and pride. No matter how great we think we are, all that we accomplish is pretty insignificant when compared with what our Creator has done.
Hernando draws from Micah 6:8 as God instructs the Israelites to "walk humbly with your God." A concordance search reveals verse after verse where God's people are told to humble themselves before Him.
How are you at work? We are told to do quality work--it's not that you shouldn't do admireable work. But remember that you do that work because of the talents God gives you. Ultimately, your very life is from God.
I really like the way that God approaches Job, how God describes all of His accomplishments to Job (laying the earth's foundations, showing the dawn its place, etc.). Think about that in the context of your work. Sure, you landed a big client. But how are you at binding the stars (38:31-32)? What about leviathan wrestling (41:1-34)? It's an interesting perspective on accomplishments and pride. No matter how great we think we are, all that we accomplish is pretty insignificant when compared with what our Creator has done.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Look for Ways to Be Humbled
One last word on pride from last week's posts. I've mentioned before that my wife and I had a baby at the beginning of this month. In just a little over 3 weeks, he has taught me an important lesson about pride. Before he was born, I'd taken time to read a lot of books on caring for babies. I tried to read things that represented a wide variety of viewpoints and techniques. And now that he's here, I implement a lot of that knowledge when he's crying or when taking care of him in this or that way. And sometimes it works. That's a great feeling, when you try something that's supposed to soothe a screaming baby and it works. It's a huge ego boost to be able to calm our baby. But other times, I go through my list of things to try and nothing seems to help. I think to myself, "wait a minute, I had this down just a few hours ago." My ego boost from the success goes flat faster than you can say "dirty diaper."
Having accomplishments at work is great. And like I've said a number of times, you need to strive to produce quality work. But don't shy away from humbling experiences. They can keep your pride in check and show you how much you depend on others and how much you depend on God.
Having accomplishments at work is great. And like I've said a number of times, you need to strive to produce quality work. But don't shy away from humbling experiences. They can keep your pride in check and show you how much you depend on others and how much you depend on God.
Friday, April 22, 2011
He Humbled
Philippians 2:5-8
I need to start with a caveat that I probably should have included in Wednesday's post. If it seems like that post on pride or this one on humility makes me look like I've got it all together or that I don't struggle with pride, that is not my intent, nor is it true. I'm writing to myself this week, just as much as I'm writing to any of you.
The opposite of pride is humility or humbleness. Jesus uses the idea of meekness in Matthew 5:5. It means recognizing our place in the universe (i.e., very small). It means recognizing our dependence on God (complete). It means that, while our accomplishments seem great in our own eyes, we worship a God who created the universe (an infinitely greater accomplishment). James says that humility comes from wisdom (3:13). Other passages talk about God giving salvation and grace to the humble (Psalm 149:4 and James 4:6, respectively).
Perhaps the most exemplary model of humility is Jesus Himself. Philippians 2 reminds us how far the Son of God stooped to save us from sin. "Being in very nature God," Jesus was at the very highest height of the universe. Nothing that we can imagine was equal to Him. But, instead of taking pride in that, He "did not consider equality with God something to be grasped." He refused to take pride in His position. Instead, He "made Himself nothing." He humbled Himself as far as He could and "became obedient to death, even death on a cross." In addition to the pain and horror, the cross was particularly humbling because it was a style of execution reserved for the lowest of the low criminals. Jesus went from the infinitely highest place in the universe to the absolute lowest.
Kind of brings everything into perspective in terms of our own pride, doesn't it? The antidote for pride is to remember what you'd be without God. In Him, you move and have your being (Acts 17:28). You would be less than nothing without Him.
It's great to get a promotion or land a major account. And it's fine to celebrate those accomplishments as gifts from God. Just remember where they come from. Remember that nothing is possible without your creator.
I need to start with a caveat that I probably should have included in Wednesday's post. If it seems like that post on pride or this one on humility makes me look like I've got it all together or that I don't struggle with pride, that is not my intent, nor is it true. I'm writing to myself this week, just as much as I'm writing to any of you.
The opposite of pride is humility or humbleness. Jesus uses the idea of meekness in Matthew 5:5. It means recognizing our place in the universe (i.e., very small). It means recognizing our dependence on God (complete). It means that, while our accomplishments seem great in our own eyes, we worship a God who created the universe (an infinitely greater accomplishment). James says that humility comes from wisdom (3:13). Other passages talk about God giving salvation and grace to the humble (Psalm 149:4 and James 4:6, respectively).
Perhaps the most exemplary model of humility is Jesus Himself. Philippians 2 reminds us how far the Son of God stooped to save us from sin. "Being in very nature God," Jesus was at the very highest height of the universe. Nothing that we can imagine was equal to Him. But, instead of taking pride in that, He "did not consider equality with God something to be grasped." He refused to take pride in His position. Instead, He "made Himself nothing." He humbled Himself as far as He could and "became obedient to death, even death on a cross." In addition to the pain and horror, the cross was particularly humbling because it was a style of execution reserved for the lowest of the low criminals. Jesus went from the infinitely highest place in the universe to the absolute lowest.
Kind of brings everything into perspective in terms of our own pride, doesn't it? The antidote for pride is to remember what you'd be without God. In Him, you move and have your being (Acts 17:28). You would be less than nothing without Him.
It's great to get a promotion or land a major account. And it's fine to celebrate those accomplishments as gifts from God. Just remember where they come from. Remember that nothing is possible without your creator.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Pride Goes Before Destruction
Proverbs 16:18
Pride is an interesting problem for Christians in the workplace. On the one hand, we're told to do quality work. On the other, the Bible warns against pride with verses such as:
"Pride goes before destruction" (Prov. 16:18)
"I hate pride and arrogance" (Prov. 8:13)
"He looks upon the lowly, but the proud, He knows from afar" (Psalm 138:6)
"Do not be proud" (Romans 12:16)
"[Love] is not proud" (1 Cor. 13:4)
And that list is just a small sampling.
Al Pacino, playing Satan in The Devil's Advocate, states that vanity (another word for pride) is his favorite sin. Obviously, the movie is not speaking on behalf of the devil, but pride is certainly one temptation that is particularly dangerous.
One reason that pride can be so dangerous is that it hides our weaknesses, which may be the reason that "pride goes before destruction." We begin to think we're untouchable, and then we don't notice mistakes and other problems that creep up around us.
Another reason that pride is a big problem is that it alienates others. Romans 12:3 says "do not think of yourself more highly than you ought," and the context is that we all need other people. That's true in our Christian walk (which is Paul's reference in the Romans passage), but it's also true at work. There are very few, if any, jobs that you can do without some kind of dependence on other people. In the university classes that I teach, students invariably hate group assignments. However, the lessons of dealing with underperforming group members or with having to coordinate schedules (which are the two most common complaints) are important as students go into jobs where they will have to work with others. Very rarely will your job performance be solely dependent on you, and pride tends to hide the fact that we need other people.
But perhaps the most important reason that the Bible warns against pride is that is such a small step from pride in one's accomplishments to forgetting how much we need God. Pride diminishes God's work in our lives, and how He provides for us in terms of our day-to-day living. Pride in an achievement at work neglects God's help in giving you the skills and knowledge to do the work that you do. And that kind of pride also makes it easier to forget that we are all sinners in need of a Savior, that we are nothing without Jesus.
Where do you struggle with pride? Take a long look at your life, particularly how you think about your work. Identify the areas in which you're more susceptible to pride. Then take those areas to God in prayer.
Pride is an interesting problem for Christians in the workplace. On the one hand, we're told to do quality work. On the other, the Bible warns against pride with verses such as:
"Pride goes before destruction" (Prov. 16:18)
"I hate pride and arrogance" (Prov. 8:13)
"He looks upon the lowly, but the proud, He knows from afar" (Psalm 138:6)
"Do not be proud" (Romans 12:16)
"[Love] is not proud" (1 Cor. 13:4)
And that list is just a small sampling.
Al Pacino, playing Satan in The Devil's Advocate, states that vanity (another word for pride) is his favorite sin. Obviously, the movie is not speaking on behalf of the devil, but pride is certainly one temptation that is particularly dangerous.
One reason that pride can be so dangerous is that it hides our weaknesses, which may be the reason that "pride goes before destruction." We begin to think we're untouchable, and then we don't notice mistakes and other problems that creep up around us.
Another reason that pride is a big problem is that it alienates others. Romans 12:3 says "do not think of yourself more highly than you ought," and the context is that we all need other people. That's true in our Christian walk (which is Paul's reference in the Romans passage), but it's also true at work. There are very few, if any, jobs that you can do without some kind of dependence on other people. In the university classes that I teach, students invariably hate group assignments. However, the lessons of dealing with underperforming group members or with having to coordinate schedules (which are the two most common complaints) are important as students go into jobs where they will have to work with others. Very rarely will your job performance be solely dependent on you, and pride tends to hide the fact that we need other people.
But perhaps the most important reason that the Bible warns against pride is that is such a small step from pride in one's accomplishments to forgetting how much we need God. Pride diminishes God's work in our lives, and how He provides for us in terms of our day-to-day living. Pride in an achievement at work neglects God's help in giving you the skills and knowledge to do the work that you do. And that kind of pride also makes it easier to forget that we are all sinners in need of a Savior, that we are nothing without Jesus.
Where do you struggle with pride? Take a long look at your life, particularly how you think about your work. Identify the areas in which you're more susceptible to pride. Then take those areas to God in prayer.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Apologies
I really liked what Nancy wrote about apologies. This week, I'm planning to post about pride, and that's really related to apologies. I think the reasons why saying a sincere "I'm sorry" is that we don't want to lose face. We're prideful. This week, if you are in the wrong, apologize. We'll talk more about pride on Wednesday and Friday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)