Beware of Pride

It's so true.   Pride Causes Arguments.  Plain and simple.  If we become prideful then we are not showing love and concern for others and we end up in contention with others.  

President Benson's talk on pride is one that should be used more like a textbook.  You can read or listen to it read by President Hinckley here:

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1989/04/beware-of-pride?lang=eng#watch=video

In this talk there were a few things that stood out to me.  The first was when President Benson says, "The central feature of pride is enmity - enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen."  This actually hurt me a little bit.  I would never want to do anything to show hatred toward God but when I am prideful I am showing hatred toward God.  That was very eye opening to me and helped me realized how important it is to overcome feelings of pride.  He also tells us that Pride is damning.  Every time I hear the word damning I stop to pay attention.  Damning means we cannot progress so if I want to progress in life I cannot participate in anything that is damning.  President Benson tells us, "Pride is the universal sin, the great vice."  To me this means that it is something that affect everyone and must be worked on at all times.  We need to be constantly repenting and asking for strength from God as we work to overcome feelings of pride.  He also says that, "Pride is the great stumbling block to Zion."  I loved in the end of the talk that President Benson used the word "choose" so often.  He gives us many examples of how we have the ability to choose our actions and our thoughts.  We can choose to eliminate pride from our lives.  

I think pride is a sign of selfishness.  I know when I become prideful it usually because I don't want to be wrong.  Everyone wants to be right.  

Being humble and truly loving our fellowmen are ways we can overcome pride.  We need to put other people's needs before our own.  I have seen so many times in my life when I put the needs of others first my own needs seem to vanish.  One of the hardest things for me is to say I am sorry but when I do my heart feels better.  

I am learning that my frustration towards others usually has something to do with my own insecurities.  Most of the time when I struggle with another person it is because I am not feeling good about myself or I am feeling competitive.  Satan uses these feelings to get me to be prideful so that I will develop hate and enmity for others.  This is so dangerous.  I think especially in a marriage.  I am grateful that I am married to someone who calls me on my selfish behaviors in an honest and loving way.  My husband helps me deal with frustrations in my family.  He also helps me to be honest with myself when I have struggles with other people.  I am grateful that he helps me to see things more clearly.  

In our marriage we have been able to keep pride out because we communicate.  We have respect for each other.  We have learned to trust each other and to know that we are each doing our best.  We allow for bad days every once in awhile and don't get offended or hold grudges.  I really think that it could be easy for me to be bitter and hold grudges but my husband pulls things out of me and we talk through them before they become issues.  I am so grateful for his patience and his unconditional love for me.