Week 8: Beware of Pride

     One of my favorite quotes when talking about pride states “pride will cost you everything and leave you with nothing.” How true this statement is! We see the downfall of families, marriages and relationships everywhere due to pride. From the research of Dr. John Gottman, even in the first few months of marriage, men who allowed their wives to influence them had happier relationships and they were less likely to divorce. It’s so interesting to me to see how much of an impact one attitude can have on our lives. Along with happier marriages, the wives of men who accept their influence are much less likely to be harsh with their husbands when beginning a challenging marital topic. We have the ability to strengthen our friendships in marriage when each spouse accepts influence from the other. The necessities of a marriage include putting down our pride and choosing “us” over “me.”

      No matter the situation, pride will always be a sin. It may be hard to see it in ourselves, but we never fail to see it in others. Putting down our pride in marriage includes continuously looking to gain common ground instead of always needing to get our way. So much of marriage has to do with compromising and that begins with a willingness to share the power but to respect the other person’s view. We will all experience change in a marriage between spouses and individuals. However we cannot depend upon our spouse to simply change when we don’t like some of the things they do. Part of letting go of pride includes accepting rather than always looking for change. 

      President Benson delivered a powerful talk on pride where he strongly advises the reader/listener to beware of pride. He explains how the prideful wish God would agree with them, whereas the humble trust in God’s plan. My favorite line from his talk poses a question. He asks “what will men think of me? Vs. What will god think of me?” I think this is a crucial question we have to frequently ask ourselves. Do we find it more important to be viewed well in the eyes of men or in the eyes of God? If the answer to that question is men, may I suggest we take a look at our lives and realign what is truly important in our lives. I pray that we can all move forward in humility and have pleasing God as our ultimate motive.