Pride Versus Humility

Pride Versus Humility by Betty Fritz

I’m from Texas, y’all…and proud of it. Being from the South and especially from Texas has always meant a lot to me. Being an American means a lot to me too…but being a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, means even more.

Pride is defined in several different ways in the dictionary: 1. an overhigh opinion of oneself. 2. haughtiness or arrogance 3. dignity and self-respect. 4. satisfaction in one’s achievements. 5. a person or thing in which pride is taken… Pride is not always a bad thing, unless taken to extremes. As defined by Webster we can only conclude: An overhigh opinion of oneself can lead to haughtiness and arrogance. Satisfaction in one’s achievements should bring dignity and self-respect.

There has been a lot of focus lately on the subject of pride while the state of South Carolina decides whether or not to fly the Confederate flag. It has been really difficult for some of us to succumb to the fact that our flag should be taken down and perhaps displayed only inside a museum. Personally, I love being a “rebel” and to me the flag is beautiful in its design and colors…the same as our American flag. To see it permanently folded and put away is like giving up a part of my heritage and ideas about who I am and where I came from…a part of my pride.

In spite of these feelings, I do realize how this same flag can mean something entirely different to a large part of our population. As far as I know, my family was never involved in slavery and I remember only one black family living in the small community I grew up in. The topics of integration or segregation and other racial problems were only something I heard about on TV. Today, I am happy to count several black people among my friends and fully understand the horrible reality of what their ancestors suffered through and support their quest for equality and acceptance.

Although it upset me that some wanted the flag taken down, I soon realized that sometimes we have to give in in order to get along….or in order to show respect for other people’s feelings. Why cling to something that brings sadness to someone else? Proverbs 16:18 says: “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Then in Proverbs 29:23: “A man’s pride shall bring him low, but honor shall uphold the humble in spirit.”

Webster defines humble as: 1. having or showing awareness of one’s defects: modest  2. lowly, unpretentious. James 4:6….”God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”  Even our personal salvation requires that we humble ourselves by showing awareness of our defects (sins) and accepting God’s grace.

Perhaps it is time for Americans, from both north and south, to realize that we no longer are at war with each other  All races and all lives are important. All feelings and opinions need to be considered when making decisions that affect us all. My prayer is that the tragedy that took place in South Carolina, along with the decision to remove the Confederate flag, will become a turning point for America. Anything we can do to promote unity and ease racial tensions I believe will be blessed.

My name is Betty Fritz. I was born and raised in Texas but have resided in Elkhart, Indiana for the last 25 years. My husband is a Hoosier so that’s how we wound up here. We have two daughters and a son plus 6 grand kids…..3 boys and 3 girls.

I retired last year after working for 24 years at Elkhart Child Development Center. I’ve been writing since a teenager and have taken several writing courses. I enjoy writing short stories. I wrote a book of poems, RHYMES OF THE TIMES, which was published a few years ago. I have written countless songs, a few for which demo recordings have been made. Recently I’ve been writing blogs..most of them about my faith and things the Lord has taught me in my Christian life over the last 51 years. My inspiration comes from my personal relationship with Jesus Christ and my desire to see that my grand children grow up in a Christian nation. My goal is to bring glory to Him and help others to see that there is POWER in the name of JESUS!