For I am telling every single one of you, through the grace that has been given to me, not to have exaggerated ideas about your own importance. Instead, develop a sober estimate of yourself based on the standard which God has given to each of you, namely, trust.
Romans 12:3 (Complete Jewish Bible)
Reflection
People often have exaggerated ideas about their own importance. They may think that they are more special than others, or that their opinions and actions are more important. This can lead to a lot of problems, such as thinking that they don’t need to follow the same rules as everyone else, or that they are entitled to more than they deserve. It can also make it difficult for them to get along with other people, since they may not be able to see things from other people’s points of view.
The self-serving bias
People often take credit for successes and blame others for failures.
People often have exaggerated ideas about their importance in the world. This can lead to feelings of self-importance and a lack of humility, both of which can be harmful. Here are six ways in which inflated self-views can lead to problems:
- They can lead to arrogance and a sense that they are superior to others.
- They can cause people to put themselves above other important priorities, such as caring for loved ones or helping others in need.
- They can prevent people from taking personal responsibility for their actions or from admitting when they are wrong.
Confirmation bias
People often look for information that confirms their preexisting beliefs and ignore information that contradicts them.
Confirmation bias is a type of cognitive bias that involves favoring information that confirms one’s beliefs or hypotheses. People display confirmation bias when they selectively search for, interpret, or recall information in a way that confirms their preexisting beliefs. This occurs even when the information is irrelevant to the question at hand or when it outright contradicts those beliefs.
Prayer
Father in Heaven, give us the courage to stand for what is right and the humility to tone down our emotions.
Grant us your Holy Spirit that we may do the right thing when called and refrain from doing something unwarranted and unnecessary.
Father in Heaven, we only seek your blessing that we may glorify you and worship you with how we live our lives.
This we pray in the name of Jesus, our savior and our king. Amen.
Challenge
- Give the virtue of patience in your life a chance.
- Take time to wait.
- Take time to listen to your emotions without reacting.
- Take time to listen to other people’s emotions with understanding, love, and compassion.