Yesterday was too much poured into one day. I whimper my way through some details on the sister site (here). But I want you to have some theology to chew on. Bernard of Clairvaux is pretty smart – he doesn’t really need me rewriting him.
So here are steps 6 and 7 of the Twelve Steps of Pride – with little editorial flourishing.
Here’s some catch up if you’d like to see the other steps: one, two, three, four and five.
Short and sweet, here we go.
Step 6, “Conceit”
It’s accepting all the flattering words, and ignoring the critical ones. It’s a voice which cries out, “I am in no need of that correction, I already know about it. Move on” It is a true knowing of faults, yet never doing anything to remedy them.
Step 7,“Audacity”
I’ll just get very minimal here and quote Bernard of Claircaux. “He speaks first…is seated first…does over what is already done…judges the judges…thinking he ought not be occupied with lesser things when he knows himself capable of greater ones.”
Ouch and ouch.
That’s it for today. I barely had enough in me for this. Please talk about this amongst yourselves and I’ll pop in to be part of the comment discussion. Tell me what these steps mean to you.
It is hereby declared, “Teach the know-it-all writer” day.
I’ll just sit here and wait for the wisdom. I have the smartest readers.
God Bless
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Ouch…”he speaks first…” Wish someone else was up at this hour of the morning to be first!
“Thinking he ought not to be occupied with lesser things when he knows himself capable of greater ones” That hits home when one is on a sidetrack in life-an unavoidable one for the present. My days seem to consist of mostly doing ‘lesser things’ and it feels like I am not measuring up somehow. Very hard for an achiever sort. All the more painful when others give the same impression. Reminds me to be careful not to judge the sidetracked ones whom I encounter.
Per the conceit: one of my challenges, when I know I need correction, is having the wisdom to know how to make the correction and what type of correction to make. Having a tendency to analyze can paralyze the process. (Paralysis of analysis-I get it in spades sometimes.) Its the whole “Is this the problem or is that what is really wrong?” “Should I do this about it or that or the other thing?”, etc. I need to pray for wisdom more often.
Often it is simply my pride that gets in the way of doing what I know I need to do to correct a fault. Pure and simple.
Wisdom – Different eyes seeing stuff this set missed. Thank you. Nice work. Consider me taught.
Well anonymous i wasn’t up at that hour but was up at 2:45.
Although that is not too far from when I normally get up. My take Cragi: Conceit=destruction. Audacity=construction (providing it is God-directed). Enjoy these shorter ones. Easier for my pea brain to digest. LOL
Sorry Cragi. LOL Should be Craig.
Stunning Bill. I think these are both the non God directed, prideful kind. Bernard of Clairvaux pretty much is all over the non Godly kind of pride. My take? I love both of your takes. I’ll be sure to tell “Cragi” you mentioned him.
God bless.
Thanks Craig! and A and Bill! Learning from the post and the comments.
I never saw conceit before as knowing your faults, but never doing anything about them. Guess I thought it was not thinking you even had any faults. hmmm. Got me thinking. Maybe the no faults at all thing is arrogance?
Audacity. . .I think I also allowed the world to sway my view of this, thinking it was just someone more gutsy and bold. Your description is quite a bit more pointed and clearer . . .and closer. gulp.
God bless you and your desire to be all about Him!
Thank you Deb. As you reword what I’ve written, and let me know how you are seeing it – I get it all over again in a new way. I learn. God bless.
Ouch and Ouch here too. My daughter tried to politely explain to me one day that I wasn’t “like granny.” Meaning that I wasn’t the nurturing type. That I didn’t worry too much about whether everyone else’s needs (or wants) were met immediately. Did I take the correction? I’m still working on it. Trying to be more doting like granny – who isn’t even my daughter’s own grandmother, but the grandmother of a friend, who jumps up from whatever she’s doing to make sure everyone is perfectly content, well-fed, nourished, whatever. The woman apparently has a servant’s heart. I’m apparently failing Servant-hood 101. It’s not my nature to cater to everyone’s needs (or whims) but with God’s help, I’ll make it more of a priority to be more sensitive and caring. Confession for the day.
Well you jumped up today and made ME more content, and nourished ME – and whatever
I bet you do plenty of this – not everyone is all outward about it – some are more subtle – I’m thinkin’ you’re the more subtle – not about everything – but maybe about this?
And “confession”? That’s actually the next step – how’d you know?