1.
How do the truths in this chapter apply to your
personal spiritual life?
First, I was struck by the breadth and magnitude of struggles listed in
this chapter that are attributed to pride.
This line was particularly powerful, “All the wretchedness of which this
world has been the scene, all its wars and bloodshed among the nations, all its
selfishness and suffering, all its ambitions and jealousies, all its broken
hearts and embittered lives, with all its daily unhappiness, have their origin
in what this cursed, hellish pride, either our own, or that of others, has
brought us.” This was an amazing
statement. As I read and reread this
chapter, it was amazing to think that so much suffering in the world can trace
its cause to the root of pride—that root that is in us because of being humans
and the root that is in others and the very nature of Satan as he operates in
the world. As I began thinking of this
post, I wondered how much pride enters my own life and I wondered how much
suffering I cause myself. I agonize over
doing things well and performing to the best of my abilities and yet I wonder
how often this is an expression of pride versus just a desire to do my best. What is the difference? For me and my spiritual walk, I think I know
that difference only when I am still and quiet before Him. If I am caught up in the busyness of my day
and all the to-dos on my list then it is far too easy to rely on what I can do,
which inevitably leaves me lacking. I’m
wrung dry from striving when it isn’t meant to be that way. The specific tasks or things I do in a
particular day may be exactly the same but it is my internal dialogue and my
heart that matters. If I am not first
looking to Christ and if I am not first seeking to understand and be
transformed by His humility then anything I do—even if outwardly desirable—are still
rooted in pride.
2.
How do the truths in this chapter apply to your
leadership role in Classical Conversations?
As in my own spiritual life, the heart of serving in leadership as a
director is what matters. Even if I do
the “things” well, I am risking serving from a place of pride if I am not
conscious and intentional about first seeking His humility. I can recall so many occasions in my life
before children in the workplace when there would be disagreements between
different people that negatively impacted the entire department or group. In thinking of them now, it seems so simple
that pride was the common element.
Whether it was seeking acknowledgment for an achievement or feeling
disgruntled about pay, pride was evident.
With our CC communities, we are so much more invested in our children
than we ever could have been with a job.
It seems even more vital that we invest in and cultivate Christ’s humility
in our communities. It would be so easy
to allow comparisons and differences in parenting and teaching of our children
to spiral into something ugly because of pride. It is my desire for our CC community to be one
that truly reflects Christ—where all families can be accepted and feel loved
and supported. I do not think I realized
just how much pride is the enemy that we need to guard against. I am hopeful that just being mindful of pride
and seeking to turn first to Christ and His humility will help set the tone for
our entire community.
3.
What parallels in literature do you see that
apply or reference these same truths from this chapter?
Sadly,
I have allowed myself little time for reading lately. As I was thinking about this question though,
I found myself thinking about Greek tragedies and how the hero was always
undone by some fatal flaw within.
Without having specifics at hand, I’m guessing that each of these
tragedies and the flaws displayed could probably be tied to pride.
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