The Pride Test
1) Do you long for a lot of attention?> Do I demand a lot of attention? And if people are talking but I am not the center of attention, do I make a way to get all the attention to myself?
2) Do you become jealous or critical of people who succeed?
> Do I think I can do better that the other guy, go negative on people's success and become overly critical?
3) Do you always have to win?
> Do I even resort to cheating at board games!? Can I afford to lose?
4) Do you have a pattern of lying?
> Under lying is pride because lying is usually, “You’re going to know something about me that doesn’t put me in a favorable light and I want to be seen in a favorable light so I will lie, even if it’s a little thing. Just so that I’m perceived as being someone I’m truly not.” Under lying is pride. Do I lie to make myself look better and I lie to make other people look worse so I can look better in comparison?
5) Do you have a hard time acknowledging you were wrong?
> Do I have difficulty confessing and acknowledging my sin, until I get caught? And even when I get caught, I put up a fight. I blame shift, get emotional, I say, “I don’t like the way you showed me my sin!”
6) Do you have a lot of conflicts with other people?
> There are a lot of conflicts between the proud and the proud. They’re always going at it. Sometimes there’s conflict between the proud and the humble. Very rarely is there massive conflict between the humble and the humble.
7) Do you cut in line at the store, airport, on the freeway, etc.?
> Do I think that “I’m very important, I have important places to go. I have significant things to do.” The rest can just wait. Classic example is on the airplane. You can be on a plane at the very back of the plane, you’re like the last row. You can’t even see the front of the plane. Ding! Everybody jumps out of their seats and they’re all fighting to get in line to go nowhere! It doesn’t matter where you’re in line, getting off the plane is going to be a while. You can cut in front of one person, you know what that does? Nothing, nothing. But it’s just a way of saying, “Yes, there are hundreds of us, but at least I’m better than that one. I’m very important.” Do I cut?
8) Do you get upset when people do not honor your achievements?
> Do I think “They didn’t even say thank you. They didn’t even send a card saying, ‘Hey, thanks.’ They never— nobody ever honors me. Nobody ever acknowledges— Why do I even bother? Nobody even says good job! Oh, wait a minute, that’s right, I’m supposed to wait for Jesus to say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant,’ and that day’s still coming.”
9) Do you tend more toward an attitude of entitlement or thankfulness?
> “Hey, I deserve that! I’ve worked hard! I really made a sacrifice. This is what I have coming to me.” Or thankfulness? “You know what? I deserve hell. Everything else is a gift. Thanks, Lord. I’m grateful for whatever.” Proud people, they feel like they deserve. They have this sense of entitlement. Humble people say, “Thanks, Lord. That you would give gifts to your enemies, that’s great.”
10) Do you honestly feel you are basically a good person and superior to others?
> In your heart, there’s sort of this smugness, this superiority, thinking, “You know what? Most people are pretty stupid and I’m pretty smart. And most people are not a real gift to the planet and I’m superior to them. I’m basically better than most people.”
Very good questions to ask and constantly keep myself in check with...
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