Just got back from the optometrist, eyes are doing okay, bit dry and need to use the tear thingofabob, but it is the season AND the sky filled with smoke.  One of the things my doc said was to be sure he knew I was taking a certain medication as it can affect eyes, thus far it hasn’t done anything to mine.

Teresa’s air-conditioner is helping keep the living area of the house cool and we can’t ask for much more than that.  We had hoped that the unit would be fixed today, but looks like it will be tomorrow – he had to order some parts.

2 Corinthians 10:17-18 But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

¹⁸ For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.

Pride, a self-serving attribute that we would do better without, or would we?

Now I believe there are different levels of pride:  a satisfaction with oneself, happily taking pride in ones work; proper perspective of one’s ability and achievements; and the one that causes us some serious problems, feeling of superiority where we believe we are better than others.

None of us wants to walk into a surgeon’s office and talk to a doctor who will hold our lives in his hands as he takes a scalpel in hand and cuts us open, saying ‘I am okay; I am pretty sure I can do this.’

We want them to have confidence and a sense of pride in their ability to do the job.  We want to feel we are under the knife of the best person we can find.

In the world we find many people who feel ‘blowing your own horn’ is the only way to success.  If ‘you don’t blow your horn no one else will,’ is a frequent reason given for self-promotion.

When does confidence in our own ability become arrogance?  How can we do our job if we don’t have pride in our work?

I have mulled this over in the past, and I am not sure I am any closer to a valid answer. 

I have always been competitive.  I worked hard to gain promotions and had to self-proclaim my abilities to run for office.  Yet, I knew that I could not do it by myself – I needed help from others.  I was fortunate, I did have people who believed in me and supported me – they told others they felt I could do a good job.

Confidence in our ability to get the job done is important.  We need to show that we what it takes to accomplish a task.  Even competition may not be wrong, if it is done in the spirit of doing the best we can without undermining our ‘opponents.’  And if we win, we do not ‘lord it over the others’ and if we lose we don’t whine and complain about it.

We want to do the best we can, as we improve that will lead to confidence in our abilities and pride in our workmanship keeps us from doing half way measures on our tasks.

It can be a danger; we become so enamored with our abilities we forget that God gave us the skills to succeed.  We may have worked, studied and put in long hours to hone those skills, but the base came from God.

I was watching a show some time ago about a priest who wanted to gain more credit for his work.  I thought to myself, I would do the same thing, if I was a priest I would strive to be a Bishop.

Both the priest in the film and I were looking at self-gratification and not being submissive to God.  There are those who have qualities that are far better than others in a higher position; it can be daunting to think they could do better but are being hampered by prejudice or fear by the other of overtaking them.  If we are not careful, we can become bitter and spend more time complaining than actually working.

It is bad enough when that kind of competitive spirit is in the world, but it is far worse when it enters our spiritual relationship with God.

While we may not realize it we act as the Pharisee that though so much of himself:

Luke 18:11-14 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

¹² I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

¹³ And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

We want to grow in Christ, we want to have Christ shining in our eyes and countenance – but we don’t want to look at our relationship with God as being more intense or better than others because we think we are so righteous and take ‘pride’ in that fact......

It is easy for us to get too full or ourselves, easy for us to feel God performs great things (or anything) because I am who I am – wise, humble, working hard and other things that make it about us and not about God.  

When applying for a position, it is important to give the hiring authority information about ourselves, what we have accomplished in the past, even for spiritual posts.  But it must be done with humility and not a haughty spirit and attitude. 

We want to be the best at what we do, but not at the expense of demonstrating that Christ is within us and our accomplishments are a result of Him helping us.  We don’t use Him as a crutch, we use Him as a coach and teacher helping us to grow so that we can help others do their best for Him.

Later, Art :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again