W08: Pride

Understanding what pride really is will help us to understand where we are in our marriages and in our relationships. President Benson explains it when he says, “the proud wish God would agree with them.” In a marriage this could take forms of a husband or wife puffing themselves up to be above the other. Pride shows its way when one or the other gets pleasure from being right. They always want to win or be better than the other. We live in a world today where success is sometimes overly applauded. My husband has a side job where many are competing to get to the top. Last year my husband got one of the positions that he had wanted for so many years. It is only seasonal, so every year it starts over. He received many text and phone calls from other men that also wanted that spot. They were happy for him. I think he felt a little bad about the way he had acted the years prior when it was them getting the spots. He never said anything negative to them, but there was jealousy. He wanted what they had. He was angry because he also had put in the work and others were rewarded, not him. We spoke about this very topic and thought about the way God would want us to act.

I know I have had times where I have had to step down from thinking I know what is best for everyone. My husband and I struggle in completely different ways. I don’t always have the best understanding when it comes to his choices. He has told me before that I must be so much better than him because I’m such a rule follower, or because I go to church more than him. Sometimes in my mind I agree with him, and I must be showing him I think this way even if nothing if ever said. I know this is prideful behavior. We need to be willing to make a change. Recently there has been some effort given in changing some bad habits. I know that the Lord would want me to forgive and not be prideful during these changes.

President Benson said, “pride limits or stops progression”. This statement should be enough to want any of us to change. The problem with pride is that it is hard to see. Prideful behavior will show in the form that we don’t have to change. I can remember years ago when meeting with the Bishop about our marriage, he talked about pride and asked both of us to look at ourselves. He recommended the talk by Elder Uchtdorf titled, “Lord, is it I?”. Everything can’t always be the way we want, and we can’t always be right. When we bring God into our decisions and be mindful of what he wants of us, we will be on the path to better decision.