There are days when I think things are going well, but then I hear my mother’s voice whispering in my ear. “Don’t make your pants too big.” That was her way of corralling my ego when it was obvious I was overly prideful. I may have been bragging about a job I thought I did better than others. Or maybe you got an “A” on a test and realized that you’ve been helped a lot in that subject, and you feel really smart. The image of tight-fitting pants can usually give you a “stress or two.” That was another idiom of my mother.
Although she has been gone for many years, her warnings as a child to keep me “between the guardrails” still serve me well.
Recently, the Lord has given me many opportunities that have led to success. One morning, as I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled and thought about how great this adventure had been, my mom whispered that old warning about my pants in my ear. I heard it. In fact, I found myself laughing as I realized how much of an apt image it conjured up.
If pride were not effective in making us exalted, arrogant, and boastful, it would never have been added to the list of seven deadly sins. Pride can easily expand his opinion of himself and make him believe that he is bigger and better than his colleagues.
We may be familiar with the warning from Proverbs 16:18: “Pride goes before destruction” (Colloquial Bible). It’s clear where excessive pride can take us.
However, well-placed pride and balanced self-esteem have their place. Like spicy herbs, they add flavor to our personality and inform our actions. But as long as you remember the rest of the verse above, which points out “and the arrogance before the fall.” So it helps to remember the size of the pants we wear.
When things are going well, successes are accumulating, and your talents and accomplishments are beginning to be recognized, it’s easy to fall into the prideful pit of self-aggrandizement.
However, our Lord gives clear advice on how to balance these natural tendencies. David realized this when the Lord delivered him from his enemies and from Saul. He sang in his Psalm 18:27, “You save the humble, but you shame the proud.”
And Romans 12:3 tells us, “Measure your worth and honestly evaluate yourself by how much faith God has given us.”
Ms. Nancy Baumgartner, White Pine Church, Cogan House Township
It’s okay to have healthy self-esteem and self-esteem as long as you understand where your talents and abilities come from. They are part of the story God writes in our lives. They are given to us by a loving Lord who wants us to use them for their intended purpose. 1 Peter 4:10 says: Manage them well so that God’s generosity flows through you. ”
Therefore, we need to cultivate and enjoy our talents and abilities. We have to try hard to perfect them. But if we start to feel a little constrained by our shortcomings, it may be time to take stock of ourselves and give thanks to God for the gifts He has given us.
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The opinions, beliefs, and viewpoints expressed in this letter to the editor do not necessarily reflect those of the editor. NorthcentralPa.com.
