"Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom."
Proverbs 13:10
This is an interesting verse, and I think maybe we can learn something from it. We can call to mind the contentions in our lives, and ask ourselves how our pride plays into those interactions. It seems like there has to be pride on both sides. Christ was never drawn into an argument, because that isn't God's way to solve problems... and often the problems don't even have to *exist* if we could let go of our pride and back down, focusing on the areas where we are similar, rather than the areas where we are different.
At least with me, there are often times when I want to have the last word, or I feel like I need to make my point, or I feel like things are unfinished or broken, and I think often it is because I want to soothe my ego and tell myself that I am in the right, when that part actually doesn't even matter. In 3 Nephi 11:29, Christ tells us "he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention." Maybe there isn't any real righteous reason to be at odds with someone else.
Today, let's seriously think about the effects of our pride on our lives and the way we interact with others. Are there better ways that we can handle the potential conflicts in our lives? Can we let go of the last word, and find common ground? As the well-advised, let's endeavor to follow Christ's example and find ways to be at peace with one another.
Proverbs 13:10
This is an interesting verse, and I think maybe we can learn something from it. We can call to mind the contentions in our lives, and ask ourselves how our pride plays into those interactions. It seems like there has to be pride on both sides. Christ was never drawn into an argument, because that isn't God's way to solve problems... and often the problems don't even have to *exist* if we could let go of our pride and back down, focusing on the areas where we are similar, rather than the areas where we are different.
At least with me, there are often times when I want to have the last word, or I feel like I need to make my point, or I feel like things are unfinished or broken, and I think often it is because I want to soothe my ego and tell myself that I am in the right, when that part actually doesn't even matter. In 3 Nephi 11:29, Christ tells us "he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention." Maybe there isn't any real righteous reason to be at odds with someone else.
Today, let's seriously think about the effects of our pride on our lives and the way we interact with others. Are there better ways that we can handle the potential conflicts in our lives? Can we let go of the last word, and find common ground? As the well-advised, let's endeavor to follow Christ's example and find ways to be at peace with one another.
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