Applauding Ourselves

When Ronald Reagan was still governor of California he was asked to give a speech in Mexico City. Reagan writes: “After I had finished speaking, I sat down to rather unenthusiastic applause, and I was a little embarrassed. The speaker who followed me spoke in Spanish – which I don’t understand – and he was being applauded almost at every paragraph. Well, to hide my embarrassment, I started clapping when he spoke – before everyone else and longer than everyone else – until our ambassador leaned over and said, ‘I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Mr. Reagan. You see, that man is interpreting your speech.’”

We may hide our pride for a while but eventually it makes us stand out as fools. The danger of pride is that it feeds on our goodness. Pride reveals itself in vanity. Max Lucado writes about this particular aspect of pride when he says, “Suppose you are in a group photo. The first time you see the picture where do you look? And if you look good, do you like the picture? If you are the only one who looks good, do you still like the picture? If some are cross-eyed and others have spinach in their teeth – but you still look good – do you like the picture? If that’s what makes you like it even more, you’ve got a bad case of pride.” Pride is about comparing ourselves with others. How can there be a number one without a number two?

The key to living beyond pride is not taking your self so serious. Humility is not about convincing ourselves that we are unattractive or that we are incompetent. It’s not about trying to make ourselves into nothing. Humility has to do with a submitted willingness, a healthy self-forgetfulness. Real humility is not thinking poorly of yourself. It is just thinking more about other people. It’s getting the focus off of my needs, my desires, my hurts, my wants, and putting the focus on what other people need. Humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is simply thinking less about yourself.