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What is Pride? How do we overcome it- Week 8

In President Benson's talk "Beware of Pride," there were many stand out quotes that made me really think. I feel as if I could break down each and every paragraph, because the whole talk was so good! Some of these quotes include:


I love this quote because it explains what pride means in more detail than many realize. I know that enmity- which means hostility and opposing someone or something- will interfere with our ability to humble ourselves and change. If we are oppositional towards others and God we will struggle to let down pride.

The contrast between pride and humility is an important distinction to make because it puts into perspective that pride and humility do not coincide. We must be willing to humble ourselves in order to change and improve. I know that when people are stubborn it is difficult to be humble. I am someone who can be stubborn at times, therefore I struggle to humble myself to make changes. I know that during the times in my life where I have been humble and let down my pride, I was able to come unto Christ with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. I am grateful for the blessing of repentance because we can be freed from our sins. 


We have the ability to CHOOSE to humble ourselves by using our agency. It is a freeing feeling to know that we are in control of the way we live, and can use our free-agency to make change. We can repent, be freed of our sins, learn from our mistakes, and choose to live the way God would like us to. Sometimes people can "pin" their pride towards God, and don't allow themselves to accept him because they are too prideful. This is sad because pride is a tool that Satan uses to interfere with people coming closer to Christ.

 

Contention detours the spirit from being with us. It is important to do our best in our marriage to foster a relationship that does not harbor frustrations and contention. We should do our best to communicate and respect our spouse so that we can have a peaceful relationship where we can seek guidance from our Savior through the spirit.



I like this quote because people who are prideful will often struggle with feelings regarding self-esteem. We should work on our self-esteem by being aware of our Divine potential and our worth. I love that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints teaches of the importance of self-worth and having an Eternal perspective in our lives. Knowing that we are made in God's image, helps me to know that we are special and valued.



Finally, I so appreciate this part of Elder Ezra Taft Benson's talk regarding the effects of pride because it makes me think about what I have missed out on because of my pride. I am sure there are many things that I have cost myself in my life because of my begin too prideful, and I do not want to continue the cycle of pride.
Based on my personal observations with pride, I have learned that when people are prideful they miss opportunities to be happy. I feel as if people who are prideful, tend to get in their own way of progression. This is a dangerous thing because our purpose in this life is to learn, grow, and progress. If we are prideful we can't reach our full potential.
I feel that pride can manifest itself in marriage often, if we allow it to. Pride can drive couples apart because of the contention it created. I think that when people are not able able forgive in their marriage, issues fester, and become worse. It is important to be humble and allow ourselves to lift others, forgive ourselves and others, offering service, drawing closer to God and much more.

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