The Age of Arrogance

 As a young boy my mother used to have a code that she would speak quietly to me when I began to speak or act in ways that displayed an overabundance of pride. She simply would look at me a mouthed these three letters – S. P. S. I knew what these letters meant – Self Pride Stinketh! It also meant to stop bragging, praise others, and speak less. If I ignored her silent admonition, then I was escorted out of the room and her message to me was made plainer! How childish to have to have your mother put a curb on your tongue.

     Is this just a problem for immature children? A casual glance at culture would suggest that S.P.S. needs to be whispered into the ears of many adults in our culture. Meryl Streep is a successful actress who’s received numerous Academy Award nominations (winning three), and Golden Globe Award nominations (winning eight). Some time ago she expressed her view of the movie industry in an interview with Helena de Bertodano in the Daily Telegraph (London), "It's sort of exhausting, this self-congratulatory atmosphere in which the movie community lives. It's unbearable. We're not that important in the world, but we certainly all think we are…I shouldn't talk about it, I mean I'm really grateful that my work is recognized…but boy, we've gotten a little bloated. It's so grand and the outfits are so incredible and the critique of how everybody looks and the desperation of people to make an impact—it really gets to me." Perhaps Meryl Streep was whispering in the ears of Hollywood’s culture a sort of S.P.S. Does anyone in the industry pay attention?

     Arrogance that is birthed out of pride is a malady that has existed since the fall of Lucifer when he rebelled against the God of heaven and was cast out of His presence for all eternity. There is no place in the universe for an alternate God. One person observed, “Pride in who we are or what we own or what we have accomplished likewise causes us to put ourselves in the place only God should occupy.” Not a wise direction to go, just ask Lucifer!

     Pride and its offspring, arrogance, is the poison that paralyzes and distorts our thinking. In such a state we are likely to foolishly think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think, and conversely think more disparagingly in our estimation of others. The Apostle Paul had to issue an S.P.S. to a church he loved, “I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us” (Romans 12:3 NLT). Pastor Stewart Brisco summarized the idea this way, “Don’t overthink or underthink who you are – be honest!” Too often we can fall into the trap of building ourselves up, by tearing other people down. That is just another way of allowing arrogance to unleash its destructive ways.

     The antidote for arrogance is to heed the wisdom that James gives to a church suffering trials and oppression. He wrote, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor” (4:10 NLT). When the honor in life comes from the Lord, who knows all things and people perfectly, that surpasses any honor that could be given by people, or honor we bestowed upon ourselves. People who think they know the whole story about us most likely don’t. Even our personal estimations can be jaded by the deceptive hearts that we all have. The Lord told the prophet Jeremiah “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve” (17:9-10). The Lord provides honest honor!     

     Let God pass out the accolades that really matter. We need not bestow them upon ourselves. Jesus told a story in Matthew 25:14-29 about the kingdom of heaven and rewards. In the story the ones who invested as they should were praised and rewarded by the master, “‘You have been faithful in handling this small amount,’ he told him, ‘so now I will give you many more responsibilities.’” (21, 23). The one who pridefully relied upon his own wisdom was not complemented but condemned. The master summarizes, “The man who uses well what he is given shall be given more, and he shall have abundance. But from the man who is unfaithful, even what little responsibility he has shall be taken from him’” (29). There was an example of proper pride in the reporting by his first two servants. They simply reported the facts of the matter. The last servant, proud of his shrewd thinking, was condemned.

     From time to time in my life, pride and arrogance still rises to the surface of my interactions with people. God has graciously brought back to me my mother’s whisper, “S.P.S.” In those moments I am reminded to stop bragging, praise others, and speak less. It may be good for each of us to think about that.    

Obsession with Busyness

How many times have you asked a person, “How are things going?” It is not unusual for them to respond something like this, “Life’s good, but we are super busy.” Sometimes we assume that this comment is reserved for those who are adults and are juggling a lot of responsibilities related to their profession, family, or community involvement. I have discovered that busyness in our culture is intergenerational. It is a malady that strikes the young as well as those who are older. Busyness is no respecter of persons!

     In my life I have the privilege to intersect with multiple generations. I have grandchildren who are in a constant state of running from one event to another. I look at the calendar pasted on the door of their refrigerator and wonder how they could squeeze one more event into their packed life – but they do. I serve on a college campus mentoring students and they seem to be in perpetual motion. They are balancing course requirements, working to pay tuition, socializing with a coed that has caught their eye, engaging in internships or service projects, performing responsibilities like eating and laundry (if not close to home), and of course, allowing time for recreation i.e. computer games and social media – always time for that! Then we come to adults and a cartoon character comes to mind of a frazzled individual trying to address all the things that pile into their life like earning a living, caring for multiple generations of family members, connecting and ministering to their mates, fulfilling house projects, engaging in some sort of hobby (if possible), and of course being the chauffer, cook, and family referee. Even folks in retirement communities are stricken with the burden of busyness. The issues are very different but no less demanding. Now the focus is upon doctor’s appointments, family involvements, caring for physical demands like physical therapy and related health issues, along with a host of other demands. Have you ever tried to schedule time with a senior citizen? Lots of luck!

     It seems apparent that we live frantic lives. A century ago Henry David Thoreau concluded that, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” What would he say about the days in which you and I live? In the Harvard Business Review there was an interesting article entitled, “Beware a Culture of Busyness” by Adam Waytz (March–April 2023). In it he writes that Nora Rosendahl, the chief operating officer of the performance coaching firm Hintsa, conducted a small social experiment by documenting answers to the question “How are you?” She discovered during a week, nearly eight out of 10 people said, “Busy.” Social scientists have a title for this condition tagged “time poverty.” How interesting that living in a culture enamored with time saving gadgets and strategies, we are nonetheless having trouble with managing our time. Why? Waytz concludes that our culture values busyness, adding, “Busyness has become a status symbol.”

     While people often applaud people who are busy and assume that they must be significant, not everyone is impressed. A busy husband does not impress a neglected wife. Overlooked children do not necessarily flourish in their harried home life. Friends are not impressed that people are too busy to connect with them. You get the idea; life needs to be more than busy. Lest you think that this busyness pandemic is something new, people throughout the centuries have battled the barrenness of busyness.

     Two individuals in the life of Christ display this. In Luke 10:38-42 we see the interaction two sisters have with Jesus. Martha was the busy one and, “was worrying over the big dinner she was preparing” (40). Busyness often captures our attention and creates distortions in life. Martha focused upon physical food and not spiritual food for her soul. In contrast, “Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught” (39). She was busy, but in a unique way and with different matters. Her priority was her soul, not her belly or the belly of Jesus. She was feasting upon the nourishing words that Jesus was serving up to feed her hungry heart. When a busy individual encounters someone who seems to be a slacker, resentment often results. Martha complains to Jesus, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me” (40). Martha essentially wants Mary’s priorities and agenda to be altered to become like hers.

     How does Jesus resolve the issue? Instead of adjusting Mary’s activities, he applauds her singular activity of focusing upon what Jesus was saying and tells Martha she needed to avoid the bareness of her busyness. If Jesus would comment on our lives that reflect lives of “quiet desperation” what might he say? How would he evaluate what we are doing? Does our busyness direct us in the right direction or become a distraction focused upon things that really do not matter and lead us to frustration? Who are we most like, Mary or Martha? Let’s not be obsessed with the busyness of misplaced priorities, but with the best thing – “really only one thing worth being concerned about” (42). Jesus countered the busy life of Martha by offering a better alternative. Perhaps we need to readjust our lives in a similar way.