The truth about pride

 

If I am being honest, this jumped out at me in light of the recent conviction of the former president of the United States, in New York yesterday.  

His behavior seems to correspond to this passage, which comes from today's reading from The Book of Zephaniah:

"It listens to no voice, accepts no correction."

Zephaniah included this in his prophesy, hundreds of years before Jesus, during a time of darkness for Judah and Jerusalem.  The people were stubborn, and his prophecy announced the "fire" of God's passion, his anger at the way they were behaving.

BUT, at the end of this very short book, we learn that God has left a remnant of people, who "do no wrong and speak no lies."  It was good news to the people of Jerusalem.

What stood out for me yesterday at the former president's conviction, was the lack of humility found in one who will not listen to anyone and who cannot take being corrected. 

How can anyone be a good leader if they do not have the virtue of humility?

A deep pride exists when we cannot accept the truth from others (especially about ourselves), and we stubbornly try to move forward regardless of the division and harm we will cause.

It is not exactly characteristic of a good leader to routinely deny the truth, for the sake of self-preservation and pride, while taking other people down with you.

Interestingly, in the introduction to the Book of Zephaniah, it states that the "major sins" of the people that motivated Zephaniah's judgment upon the people are "Judah's worship of other deities and its unjust and abusive leadership."

It is a sinful precedent to worship anyone other than God, and likewise, abuse the power entrusted to you by others.  Many of our leaders today are doing just that.

It is the sin of pride to think we know better than everyone else, when faced with the truth.

The response to this conviction revealed personal pride at its height. It is neither helpful nor healing.  We must always ask ourselves when we come face-to-face with our guilt, whether our response will be one of stubborn pride and continued denial, or healthy acceptance and humility.

How we respond says a lot about who we are, and who we strive to be.

Janet Cassidy
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