"Stopping the Cycle of Pride -- Creating the Cycle of Humility"

Summary of All-Employee Meetings

February 1-2, 2007

 

Opening Song:  "I Need Thee Every Hour," Hymn #98 

(See Slides 1-2)

  

Introduction

(See Slide 3)

 

President Kim B. Clark opened the meetings by sharing some introductory thoughts, which are summarized below:

 

As employees of Brigham Young University-Idaho, we are greatly blessed to be led and guided by a prophet of God. President Gordon B. Hinckley, the Lord's current prophet on the earth, initiated this institution's transition to a four-year university. Through that inspired guidance, BYU-Idaho has experienced a miraculous transformation and has achieved a great deal in a short amount of time. The Lord has richly blessed this university since its creation was announced, and even greater blessings are yet to come.

 

For example, BYU-Idaho has begun construction on a new auditorium and an expansion of the Manwaring Center. These facilities will greatly enhance BYU-Idaho's ability to serve and strengthen students. Work has commenced on the Foundations program, a sweeping revision of the university's general education requirements. The BYU-Idaho Learning Model is being implemented, reshaping the way teaching and learning occur on campus.

 

BYU-Idaho's work on these and other projects is propelled by the mandate given to the university by President Hinckley when he spoke at the dedication of the Gordon B. Hinckley Building in October 2002:

"Something remarkable is happening on this campus. The announcement that came in the year 2000 was bold and, I believe, prophetic. It came of a desire to offer to the good young people of this Church, in larger numbers, the great privilege of attending and graduating from a Church university. By moving from two years to four years, this could be accomplished...

 

"I see a great future for this institution. It will go forward under inspired leadership. It will grow in strength through a dedicated and able faculty. It will be increasingly recognized as its graduates move out across the world to fill positions of responsibility. . . . This university will succeed in a wonderful manner. It will take its place among the great learning facilities of our nation as we who have some attachment to it walk and work in faith. Of that I believe with all my heart and pray that that day will come, as it surely will." (President Gordon B. Hinckley)

(See Slides 4 and 5)

It is clear from President Hinckley's remarks that tremendous blessings lie in store for this university. However, those blessings come with significant danger and risk. When Elder David A. Bednar spoke at BYU-Idaho during the groundbreaking for the new auditorium in October 2006, he explained those perils and what will happen if we allow ourselves to fall victim to them:

"In the authority of the holy Apostleship, I now raise a voice of warning and make a solemn promise. If the day ever were to come that intellectual arrogance, a lack of appreciation, and a spirit of demanding entitlement take root on this campus - among the students, the faculty, the employees or the administration, or within the community of Rexburg - then in that day the Spirit of Ricks will be well on the way to being extinguished - and the heavenly influence and blessings that have prospered this institution and the people associated with it will be withdrawn. Conversely, as long as intellectual modesty, humility, gratitude, obedience, and frugality continue to characterize those who learn and serve at BYU-Idaho, then this university will shine forth ever brighter as a beacon of righteousness and of inspired educational innovation." (Elder David A. Bednar, Devotional Address, October 31, 2006)

(See Slides 6 and 7)

Three phrases from that warning deserve special attention: intellectual arrogance, a lack of appreciation, and demanding entitlement. These inspired words from Elder Bednar are a timely warning - for us individually and collectively - against pride. This pattern of promised blessings and companion warnings against arrogance and pride is an important theme found throughout the scriptures. One example from modern revelation is found in section 38 of the Doctrine and Covenants:

"And I hold forth and deign to give unto you greater riches, even a land of promise, a land flowing with milk and honey...

"And if ye seek the riches which it is the will of the Father to give unto you, ye shall be the richest of all people, for ye shall have the riches of eternity; and it must needs be that the riches of the earth are mine to give; but beware of pride, lest ye become as the Nephites of old." (D&C 38:18, 39)

(See Slide 8)

Our Heavenly Father wishes to bless us with all He has, but He also warns us not to allow pride to enter our hearts when those blessings come. Otherwise, we fall into the same cycle that beset the Nephites: their righteousness led to blessings and prosperity, but that prosperity led to pride and wickedness. They forgot the Lord, contended with one another, persecuted one another, and drove the Spirit from their midst. Without the Lord, the Nephites suffered affliction, war, famine, and destruction. Compelled to be humble, they turned to the Lord, seeking his forgiveness and living righteously. Then the cycle began again.

(See Slide 9)

 

Discussion

 

With this cycle of pride in mind, President Clark asked employees for their thoughts on three key questions:

 

1. What have you learned in your reading and in your discussions together about pride?

2. Why does pride seem to increase when people prosper?

3. Is it possible to stop the cycle of pride before it ever gets started? What can we do to make that happen?

 

The responses to these questions from both meetings have been condensed and compiled below.

 

Follow-up questions from President Clark and the answers from employees are highlighted in blue throughout the document:

 

1.  What have you learned in your reading and in your discussions together about pride?

(See Note 1 and Note 2)

 

• Pride is the parent of all sin.
• Pride seeks to flaunt itself, but also to hide itself.

What is pride trying to hide? 

• The scriptures talk about the Gadianton Robbers and how they tried to hide their sins.

• I need to look at and evaluate myself when it comes to pride.
• Pride is the opposite of gratitude.
• Economic prosperity seems to lead to pride.
• I have to be careful in my personal life because becoming prideful seems to happen quickly.

Why do you suppose becoming prideful happens so quickly?

• When we are blessed, it is easy to consider ourselves independent of the Lord and we forget where our blessings come from.

• If we start down the path, Satan is going to work hard on us to accelerate the process.

• It's easy to confuse pride with boasting. The good works we do should be to glorify God, not ourselves.
• Humility is more about taking the journey than the destination we reach.  It's the process, not the end.
• It's easy to point the finger at the world and say others are prideful, but we have to watch ourselves as well.
• Rather than say we are "proud" of something or someone, we can say we are "grateful" for or "blessed" by them.
• Pride is selfishness and looking inward. It's all about me.
• Pride has two different forms: you can be on top looking down at others, or you can be on the bottom looking up and trying to tear others down.
• Pride is sneaky. Little by little, we can become prideful without realizing what's happening.
• It's much easier to see pride in others than it is to see in yourself.

Why do you think pride is easier to see in others?

• Spotting pride in ourselves is painful. We have to give up pride in order to see it within ourselves.

• Part of pride is a lack of confidence and faith. Humility is a strength when we realize it's not about us, it's about Christ.
• With pride, we let arrogance enter in. We think we've arrived, and we're not willing to learn.
• Pride causes us to forget our relationship to God. We forget that we are "nothing" compared to him.
• The proud are not easily taught.
• Pride is a stumbling block to Zion.

Why is pride a stumbling block to Zion?

• We cannot be of one heart and mind and build Zion if we have enmity or hostility toward others. Pride can impede our ability to build Zion here at BYU-Idaho.

• Pride can cause us to be hurtful or abusive to others - trying to put them down, etc.

Why do you suppose that happens?

• Probably the same enmity issue - and the adversary is working very hard.

• Pride is competition, and we cannot have gratitude if we are prideful.
• If we are humble and work to bring the Holy Ghost into our lives, there is less room for pride to creep in.
• The cycle of pride seems to move very quickly. It doesn't seem to take much time to move from humility and righteousness to pride. This can be accelerated by the frailties of the natural man.
• We should use the Book of Mormon as a guide to help us see and avoid pride.
• We have to avoid the desire to want to be recognized and "seen of men."
• Pride is especially a danger in the world of academia - the intellectual arrogance described by Elder Bednar.
• Pride is not hearkening to the word of God. When we ignore the word of God, we open ourselves up to Satan's influence.

 

2.  Why does pride seem to increase when people prosper?

(See Note 3, Note 4, and Note 5)

 

• The more we are blessed financially, the more entitled we feel to continue on and upward rather than spiral backwards.

Does that mean our expectations are "reset" when we are blessed?

• We feel like whatever we've received, we deserve more: more money, bigger home, etc.

• Pride can come when we receive titles or authority. We begin to compare ourselves to others.

Why do you suppose that happens?

• When we get power or authority, we want more.  Human beings want a sense of control in their lives.

• Prosperity makes it difficult to have humility because things get easier.
• It's easy to want to take credit for your efforts because we get a sense of satisfaction from seeing our own accomplishments.

Where do you think that comes from? Is it "hard-wired" into us?

• There is definitely a sense of satisfaction that comes with seeing your own accomplishments. It makes you feel good to see a positive outcome from your efforts.

• Pride is an illusion.  It's not real.
• We should do spiritual things for the right reason, not to be seen of men.
• Moroni 7 teaches that the opposite of prosperity and pride is prosperity and charity.

Why does pride get worse under conditions of prosperity?

• Because of the natural man, we forget where the prosperity comes from. We think of all we can do, and forget what we can do with our Heavenly Father.

• Pride is a result of the natural man. It percolates in our carnal selves.
• We associate the blessings we get with our own righteousness. I "deserve" my blessings. We should use them to bless others.
• We need to be stewards over what the Lord blesses us with.
• We fear losing our prosperity, which causes our pride to increase.
• It's difficult to distinguish between wants and needs. When I focus on my wants, I'm shifting toward a societal view of what's really necessary.
• There are two ways to fulfill our need to be loved: one is the Lord's way and one is a counterfeit way. When we look to the world to satisfy our need to be loved, pride develops.
• Pride is one of Satan's greatest tools. He can use it to change any virtue into a vice.
• The pride cycle seems to be attached to an "agency cycle." The Lord blesses us, teaches us, and then has to withdraw to let us choose. It's when we falter that the pride cycle begins.
• Pride and prosperity are directly tied to arrogance.

 

At this point in the discussion, President Clark noted that the scriptures indicate it is possible to stop the cycle of pride at its midpoint, before the blessings we have received lead us to become prideful. A new, virtuous cycle is created in which blessings lead to humility and repentance, then to righteousness, and more blessings. Pride, wickedness, and destruction are cut off.

(See Note 6) 

 

With that new cycle in mind, President Clark then asked employees the third question:

 

3.  Is it possible to stop the cycle of pride before it ever gets started? What can we do to make that happen?

(See Note 7 and Note 8)

 

• We must look to the Lord in everything, and allow Him to show us our weaknesses.
• We must continually pray for charity.
• Breaking the cycle starts with listening to the prophets and not discounting what they say as applying to someone else.
• We must receive the Savior's image in our countenances.
• We should evaluate our motives.

• 4 Nephi talks about how there was no contention among the people because of their love of God.

So what would you do to make that happen?

• One thing we need to watch out for is criticism of others.

• We should be willing to embrace the continual change that comes with working at BYU-Idaho.
• We don't possess our blessings. We don't possess the truth. We're freed by truth.
• Repentance can lead to humility.
• We have to remember why we're here, and not forget the good feelings that come with working here.
• It's easy to forget where the blessings come from. We always need to remember the Lord and acknowledge His blessings.

What should we do to always remember?

• Pray. When I pray, I feel spontaneously drawn to thank. That causes me to remember and think about what happened that day, and my sense of gratitude increases.

• We should compare ourselves to Christ instead of others. How do I measure up to the Savior?
• We can break the cycle through Christ-like service: trying to become like him, praying for charity, and then doing what he would have us do.
• We can break the cycle by shortening the distance between ourselves and God.
• We can stop the cycle by loving others, building them up, and helping bear their burdens.

 

At different points in the discussions of the third question, President Clark shared a quote by President George Q. Cannon that describes the ability to discern spirits. That power of discernment can assist us as we look for pride in ourselves and work to stop the cycle:

 

"One of the gifts of the Gospel which the Lord has promised to those who enter into covenant with Him is the gift of discerning of spirits-a gift which is not much thought of by many and probably seldom prayed for; yet it is a gift that is of exceeding value and one that should be enjoyed by every Latter-day Saint. . . .

 

"Now, the gift of discerning of spirits not only gives men and women who have it the power to discern the spirit with which others may be possessed or influenced, but it gives them the power to discern the spirit which influences themselves. They are able to detect a false spirit and also to know when the Spirit of God reigns within them. In private life this gift is of great importance to the Latter-day Saints. Possessing and exercising this gift they will not allow any evil influence to enter into their hearts or to prompt them in their thoughts, their words or their acts. They will repel it; and if perchance such a spirit should get possession of them, as soon as they witness its effects they will expel it or, in other words, refuse to be led or prompted by it." (Gospel Truth: Discourses and Writings of President George Q. Cannon, comp. Jerreld L. Newquist [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1974], 1:198-99)

Conclusion

 

President Clark closed the discussions by sharing several verses of scripture that address the cycle of pride and what we can do as followers of the Savior to break that cycle. The first is found in the 26th chapter of Alma, which tells the story of Ammon and his brothers after they returned from a successful mission. As Ammon speaks about their success, his brother Aaron rebukes for him being boastful. But Ammon responds with these words:

"... I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God. \

 

"Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever." (Alma 26:11-12)

(See Slide 10)

Ammon was an impressive man of power who the Lamanites believed was the Great Spirit. Yet he was quick to say he was "nothing" and to recognize that his strength and ability came from God. President Clark taught that Ammon is an example to us as we strive for humility and look to the Lord as our source of strength.

 

The next scripture comes from John 15, in which the Savior teaches His disciples about the nature of their relationship to Him and the Father:

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

 

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

 

"Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples." (John 15:1, 5, 8)

(See Slide 11)

These verses reiterate the principle taught by Ammon in Alma 26: without the Savior, we can do nothing. President Clark taught that if the Lord abides in us, and we in Him, we can bear much fruit because we are part of Him. He added that with the Savior, we can do all we are asked to do. 

 

The final verses are found in Alma 7. The preceding chapters 4 through 6 speak of the pride cycle and recount the story of Alma's difficult experience among the wicked and scornful people of Zarahemla. But in Chapter 7, Alma speaks of the much different experience he had among the people he visited in Gideon:

"And behold, I have come having great hopes and much desire that I should find that ye had humbled yourselves before God, and that ye had continued in the supplicating of his grace, that I should find that ye were blameless before him, that I should find that ye were not in the awful dilemma that our brethren were in at Zarahemla.

 

"But behold, I trust that ye are not in a state of so much unbelief as were your brethren; I trust that ye are not lifted up in the pride of your hearts; yea, I trust that ye have not set your hearts upon riches and the vain things of the world; yea, I trust that you do not worship idols, but that ye do worship the true and the living God, and that ye look forward for the remission of your sins, with an everlasting faith, which is to come.

 

"And now my beloved brethren, do you believe these things? Behold, I say unto you, yea, I know that ye believe them; and the way that I know that ye believe them is by the manifestation of the Spirit which is in me. And now because your faith is strong concerning that, yea, concerning the things which I have spoken, great is my joy." (Alma 7:3, 6, 17)

(See Slides 12-14)

President Clark said he believes the BYU-Idaho community is much more like the people of Gideon. He emphasized these all-employee meetings were not held because BYU-Idaho has a serious problem with pride, but because of the great blessings and great responsibility that are coming to the university. As those opportunities come, BYU-Idaho employees should continue to share the same mindset as the people of Gideon: faithful, humble, believing, and reliant on God for strength.

 

President Clark then related Alma's concluding words to the people of Gideon, which should serve as a template for how we go about our work at BYU-Idaho:

"And now I would that ye should be a humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive." (Alma 7:23)

(See Slide 15)

President Clark concluded the meetings with his testimony that BYU-Idaho is guided by the Lord through His prophet, and that the work of the university will continue to move forward if we remain faithful, righteous and do all in our power to stop the cycle of pride.

 

Closing Song:  "Be Thou Humble," Hymn #130

(See Slide 16)

 

Additional Slides:

• What are the signs that we are falling into prideful ways?

• What should we do to overcome pride?

• The common pattern in each of President Benson's lists

• The Alma 32 process (slides 20-21)

• George Q. Cannon quotation (slides 22-23)