Pride and Humility

I am preaching on Sunday on a parable that deals with the matters of pride and humility.   In the process,  I remembered one of the "old sayings"  [old tapes!] from my southern childhood.   The text for the sermon is on the Pharisee praying, "I'm glad I'm not like them.".   The 'old saying' that the sermon brought to memory is:  "Don't get too big for your britches!"

When I think about that kind of "training", or indoctrination, or upbringing---I can see the positive side of such a constant reminder.   It attempts to keep one from thinking so highly of themselves that they begin to believe they are better than someone else.  And of course,  those tapes are deeply embedded in my  head.  And I do hope that in some ways, they helped to shape a sense of humility.

In re-reading the sermon that I had written some weeks ago,  I had a new insight.  There is also a negative side to constantly reminding one 'not to think too highly of themselves'.   As a mature adult,  I now suspect that such a notion can keep one from ever thinking that they might be better than someone else at something.  While I am willing to accept that I am not better than anyone else (in the eyes of God perhaps), what about the unique and special gifts God bestows?.  If a person is a gifted singer (which I am not), then that person is certainly better at singing than someone who cannot sing at all!  A person may be a gifted runner, writer, mother, dancer, physicist, leader.  And such a person is going to want to excel in their area, which means, being better than someone else!

I doubt that the child, hearing such words of correction, is able to make the subtle distinctions.   In fact, here I am sixty plus, and I only just now made them myself!

I know that there are definitely some southern things that I passed along to my children, who were born in and have always lived in New York.   I don't recall ever using that line!  (At least, I hope not!)