Pride and Humility
by Stephen Bastin
Then there was the fellow who said, “I’m
humble and proud of it!”
Solomon once wrote, “Pride goes before
destruction and haughtiness before a fall.”
Perhaps you know someone who has too high an
opinion of himself. That is pride.
The opposite is someone who has no opinion of himself at all.
That is humility.
In the grand scheme of things I suppose that most
people would consider pride a small matter when compared with rape, mayhem and
murder. On the other hand, there is
probably more mischief caused by pride, in the workplace, in the government, and
in the home than any other character flaw.
But someone says, “You ought to take pride in
your work.” I agree if by taking
pride in your work you mean doing your best and producing a quality product.
You ought to work hard for your employer.
You ought to work hard to make good grades in school.
You ought to work hard at making your home a place of cheerfulness and
joy. Taking pride in something and
being proud are two quite different things.
The pride of which I speak is that feeling about
oneself that causes an air of superiority. The
supposition is often made, “I am better than anyone else and the world
revolves around me.” The attitude
that says that I am important and in comparison others matter little, if at all,
has the potential to cause much grief, for oneself and for others.
Pride focuses on you.
Humility focuses on others. That
is the primary difference in the two characteristics.
The proud man is always looking to see if others
are applauding. The humble man is
always applauding the efforts of others.
The proud man is often jealous because he does not
receive the acclaim he thinks he deserves. The
humble man is concerned that others are not getting the acclaim that they
deserve.
The proud man is often resentful of the praise
that others receive. He thinks of
himself and notices when he is shunned. The
humble man rejoices in the praise others receive and does not notice whether he
is receiving the praise that he deserves.
The proud man is surprised when others do not
agree with his appraisal of himself. The
humble man is surprised that others think so highly of him and his efforts.
Jesus showed us the way to true greatness.
With humiliation and shame he went to the cross that we might be
acclaimed the children of God. He
humbled himself and so ought we.