Pride is such an awful thing. All of us are guilty of it at some point or another. But that is no excuse.
I've thought a great deal about it lately. There is a lot more to pride than most people think. I'm sure there is a lot more to it than I have realized. However, a modern prophet named President Ezra Taft Benson put it this way:
"Most of us think of pride as self-centerdness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart, or core, is still missing.
"The central feature of pride is enmity--enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means 'hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.' It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us.
"Pride is essentially competitive in nature. We pit our will against God's. When we direct our pride toward God, it is in the spirit of 'my will and not thine be done.' As Paul said, they 'seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's.' (Philip. 2:21)" - (Beware of Pride, Ezra Taft Benson, General Conference April 1989)
The more I think about it, the more I realize that pride is the root of all sin. There is no sin that does not come from some form of pride.
God gives us commandments and principles to live and follow. When we choose to disobey, it is generally because we think we know better or we disagree with what God has said. In many cases it does not seem that way on the surface but when we look deeper at our decision, it was generally made in disagreement due to circumstance or personal belief.
Think about it. God is the Almighty, Omniscient, Omnipotent, Creator of the universe. He knows EVERYTHING. He knows what will make you happy and what will keep you from misery, and He directs you accordingly. How could you possibly argue or disagree with a Being such as that?
True humility takes place when we remove competition and self-justification. When we stop worrying about who is better and who is worse than you are. Simply put, when we stop looking at who is right and concentrate on what is right then we are led to the right decision and pride is gone. When pride is gone, sin is gone. When we strive to lift others up rather than to elevate ourselves above them, we find ourselves growing closer to God and we are more willing to follow His direction.
Be willing and ready to accept correction. Don't try to hide it when you make a mistake. Think of what will make God the happiest, and then do that.
After all, who is more important to please than God?
