013-RFP.doc

Proud to be you?

Long ago, there lived a very proud King. This King loved a specific perfume and never went anywhere without putting it on. One day as he proudly applied the perfume, a tiny droplet fell to the ground. Unable to resist, the King touched the droplet and wiped it on his clothes. Just then, as he looked around him, he realized that his minister was watching him in amazement. Guilty and embarrassed, the King ordered him to build a pool of the same perfume. The minister only replied “Your Majesty, what goes away with a drop cannot be replaced by constructing a pool.” The King’s pride decreased by his actions (imagine, a King so high and might running after a tiny droplet.)

So, instead, he tried to justify his actions by building a pool (which is expected from a King.) Pride, to think you are better than others, is a source of many evils. You can be proud of so many things from wealth and other material items, to knowledge, worship, and other spiritual acts. Pride shows that you have an inferiority complex and you use pride to cover up your sense of insecurity. Pride doesn’t bring honor. Instead, it brings disgrace and hatred from people. People feel hatred towards those who love self-praise and are inconsiderate about other people’s dignity.

When a person is proud, he forgets about others and only cares for himself. Pride especially displeases God. God didn’t create us to feel superior over others. A person even begins to feel superior over God! God, alone, has the right for pride, since He is the creator of all things. Keep this saying in mind before you have the urge to boast: “Two things cause people to be destroyed (and lead unto Hell): fear of poverty and seeking support through pride.”