Week 8: Beware of Pride

As I read President Benson's talk, "Beware of Pride" I kept thinking about social media. My son who is 12 has recently decided that he "needs" Instagram. We have been having lots of discussions with him about why he feels he needs it. As we've discussed this with him, it's made me question myself. Why do I NEED social media? I have been reflecting on the purpose of social media. Sure, it is great to reconnect with people from your past and it's fun to see what all your friends are up to, but when I read President Benson's talk, I realized social media frequently becomes a display of pride. He says, "The proud stand more in fear of men’s judgment than of God’s judgment. (See D&C 3:6–7 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.; D&C 30:1–2 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.; D&C 60:2 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..) “What will men think of me?” weighs heavier than “What will God think of me?”  This quote made me think about why I post certain things on social media. I think there is a sense of pride behind almost every post. "Well, I want everyone to see that I'm taking this fabulous trip and they're stuck at home." There's so many reasons that I think lead back to pride. This quote is really going to make me ponder how, and why, I am using social media. Am I more worried about the "likes" from my friends because I'm worried about their judgement? Or am I at peace with the world's judgements and worried about God's judgement?  

Do you think it is ok to be prideful about someone else's accomplishments?  When I think about my marriage I think about how proud I am of my husband. He's such a great man and works so hard. Sometimes I just want to shout from the rooftops (or social media) how proud I am of him. What are your thoughts on that?

I have seen pride destroy many families. I am currently watching one be destroyed by pride. I just want to shake these people and tell them to take a hard look at themselves. We read in the Goddard reading this week about how it's so easy to see pride in someone else and so hard to see it in ourselves. How can we help others see that they are being prideful? Is there more we can do than to pray for them?

This year I have been studying the Book of Mormon with the intent to find every reference to pride. I truly think every sin can be traced back to pride. It is a scary thing. We need to be diligent about aligning our will with God's will and worrying about His judgements and not the world's.