Pride

C. S. Lewis said, “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. … It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone.”

In our relationships we need to beware of pride.  In the scriptures pride is always considered a sin. President Ezra Taft Benson stated, “The central feature of pride is enmity—enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition…Another major portion of this very prevalent sin of pride is enmity toward our fellowmen. We are tempted daily to elevate ourselves above others and diminish them.” When it comes to our marriages pride can have a devastating affect on it. There are many ways in which pride can seep into our relationships and take hold if we are not careful and do not recognize them as signs of pride. President Benson stated that with pride, “It is manifest in so many ways, such as faultfinding, gossiping, backbiting, murmuring, living beyond our means, envying, coveting, withholding gratitude and praise that might lift another, and being unforgiving and jealous.” He also went on to say that disobedience, contention, and selfishness are also common elements of pride.

There are many ways in which we can fight pride by turning our hearts to God with humility and repentance. Each of us at some point will fall victim to pride whether we know it or not. It is up to us to humble ourselves and repent to the Lord and seek forgiveness for those we have wronged. We can happy and healthy relationships if we can recognize the pride cycle and do everything in our power to fight against it.