Pride, The Great Destroyer

“When pride has a hold on our hearts, we lose our independence of the world and deliver our freedoms to the bondage of men’s judgment. The world shouts louder than the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. The reasoning of men overrides the revelations of God, and the proud let go of the iron rod.” President Ezra Taft Benson, “Beware of Pride,” Ensign, May 1989

President Ezra Taft Benson, in an article entitled “Beware of Pride,” reminds us that the scriptures tell us that “there is no such thing as righteous pride…” because pride is “self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness…Pride is competitive in nature…” It is because of pride that we turn our backs on the tools that could help us be better people in all that we do. It is pride that does not allow us to see what we have done wrong, repent, and mend broken hearts. 

However, President Benson tells us that “the antidote to pride is humility-meekness, submissiveness…the broken heart and contrite spirit…” When something is amiss in our relationships, we don’t have control over anyone other than ourselves. If we want something to change for the better, we must be willing to let go of our pride and make those changes.

In his book, “Drawing Heaven Into Your Marriage,” H Wallace Goddard states that “anytime we feel irritated with our spouses, that irritation is…an invitation to call ourselves to repent. We are irritated because of our own lack of faith and humility.” This has been something I have felt more in recent years. I have learned during this time that when I let go of whatever it is that is driving me crazy and focus more serving my spouse, then things are happier in our home. 

As a young married woman, there were things I thought were driving me crazy. We would talk about those things but nothing would ever change. It wasn’t until years later and after lots of my own learning, did I realize I was focused on the wrong things. As I turned my focus more on the Spirit, I found ways to be more supportive of my husband and things began to change in even better ways than I could have imagined. Today, when I find that something is starting to irritate me, I call myself to repentance and look for ways to show a greater increase of love. This truly has brought a better spirit into our home and into my heart.

References:

Goddard, H.W. (2007). Drawing Heaven Into Your Marriage. Fairfax, VA: Meridian Publishing.