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A is for…Arrogance
By Marc | July 16, 2008
This is a post I originally had done in February of last year, but on my Live Spaces site. I was still a little more cocky in my faith then, also. But, it hadn’t appeared here, so… enjoy:
I thought I would post about different issues or sins and maybe it would be best to address what I personally have dealt with. The first of these is arrogance.
This is something that I struggle with constantly. It can take many forms.
- Judging others. Most of us (I think) do it. I will pride myself on how much better I am than someone else. I can also look at someone who seems to have their life together and I will go out of my way to find a chink in their armor. “He’s having problems in his marriage? Well, mine is perfect.” “She may earn more than me, but at least I have some dignity in my job.” “I’m better looking than him.” “I can draw better than that.” “Yeah, I could draw that, too, if I had the right tools and the education.” “She may have a better car than mine, but her daddy probably bought it for her. I paid for mine.” Who am I to point out someone else’s faults? I can dish out the insults, but I refuse to listen to yours. When I was in college, I went to a private university (way out of my league). At some point (before I dropped out), I went to the mall with some friends and I remember making some snide remark about the “hicks” in the food court. I was much better than these common folk. Big talk for me. I came from a town of 900 in western Nebraska. I was from a single parent household and my mom worked 7 days a week at a bar to make sure her kids had food and clothing. I liked heavy metal and read comic books (these aren’t bad, but I wasn’t like my peers). I couldn’t afford school and couldn’t keep up in classes. How was I better than these people in the food court? Even if I were the President or the Queen of England, I would have no room to point fingers. We all have our our own story and I didn’t know theirs. We ALL have things in our lives that are open for ridicule. Do you feel you have to cut others down just to make yourself feel better? We all have only one judge. I’m sure not it and neither are you.
- Dependence on self. We all have problems. I usually choose to keep thinking that I’m the only one who can fix things. When I’m lonely, lost, broken, broke, angry, frustrated, scared, and a million other things, I keep my pride going full tilt — “Who would put up with me?” “They’ve got their own problems; why deal with mine?” “Why should I call out to God to help me? He doesn’t care.” “I got myself into this, I’ll get myself out.” “When things are going well, they’ll look at me and I can say that I did this, I made this, all this is because of me and my greatness.” What it really boils down to, really, is I can do something to help someone, but I refuse to be helped by others. That admits defeat and weakness to me. It took me so long to see it, but I need to admit that I need help. When I ask God for help, that’s making Him more a part of my life, and I’m pretty sure that’s what He wants. Sometimes, I wonder how I even survived as a non-believer for so long. Letting Him carry some of the burden is so much easier. At Promise Keepers last summer, one of the speakers referred to a general who said the person he wants most with him in battle is someone strong enough to carry him if he gets hit. God is this (and so much more). When we get shot down by life and left for dead, He can pick us up and take our weight.
- Ignorance. In a way, this can tie in with judgement. If I don’t know all the facts, how can I have an opinion. Before I became a Christian, I was sure that God didn’t exist and most people were fools to believe it. Religion was just a way for the people in power to keep the workers in line. “Be a good little grunt and you can look forward to rewards in the afterlife.” To me, the Bible was a huge work of fiction, mythology. This was my thinking and it was so off base, it sounds more like a bad sci-fi movie plot. I had never read the Bible, but I was an “expert” in debunking it. Force me to come up with proof, and I would fold like a house of cards. I was arrogant about my “free thinking”, but didn’t have a valid thought. When I actually read parts of the Bible and went to church, I saw how wrong I was. Any more, I can’t see how it could be anything less than the word of God and real history. When I came to the realization that Jesus really existed in history, it threw all my “beliefs” into the wind.
There are more ways that arrogance can take form, but these three are fresh in my mind. If you struggle with excessive pride, pray that God helps you to understand and gives you wisdom. If you still want to boast, boast about the Lord. If I do something wrong, I will take the blame; if I do something good, I will give Him the praise.
Topics: Life and Living | 1 Comment »
July 16th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
At one time I thought I had all the answers. Now, I realize, I am slowly beginning to understand a few of the questions. I’m so blessed that God looks over fools.