Sunday, September 02, 2012

no greater burden in all of life

"I have come to the conclusion that we have no greater burden in all of life than our own inflated egos. No outside force has the power to betray and mislead us the way our own egos do. Pride talks us out of forgiving and steers us away from risking. Pride cheats us of intimacy, because intimacy requires transparency. Pride is a slave driver like no other, and if it can't drive us to destruction, it will drive us to distraction. Think about the madness this one little trait can cause:

If we can't be the most attractive, at least we can be the best at something.
And if we can't be the best at something, we can at least be the hardest working.
And if we can't be the hardest working, we can at least be the most congenial.
And if we can't be the most congenial, we can at least be the most noticeable.
And if we can't be the most noticeable, we can at least be the most religious.
And if we can't be the most religious, we can at least be the most exhausted.

And it never ends, because big egos insist on our being a 'the.' Not just an 'a.'"

[Beth Moore, from So Long, Insecurity]

3 comments:

Sandy said...

So very true! If this were Facebook, I'd "Like" it. Beth Moore has a wonderful gift for clearly sharing truth.

Suzassippi said...

On burdens:

"There is no heavier burden than a great potential." Charlie Brown, circa 1972.

"The burden is on the one with the awareness." David Stuckey, circa 1985.

Tacy said...

We are all unique. We cannot compare ourselves to one another or we will become prideful!

in each sister and brother

If God comes down to earth through [the] Son made flesh, then we ascend toward heaven through Jesus present in each sister and brother for ...