[bluidkiti]

December 23

Pride comes before a fall.

~Aesop’s Fables

The word pride can mean a lot of things, and some of them are good. Pride can mean self-respect, a sense of dignity and joy in the work we do. Pride can also mean thinking too much of ourselves or our possessions. When our pride is so big that we look down on others, it is bad. When we forget to be grateful for our success and want to take all the credit, pride is bad. This is false pride.

When we are too proud, we think we can do it all ourselves. We forget to ask for help. We forget to pray and meditate. Soon we’ll find ourselves all alone, except for our Inner Addict. And when it’s just us and our Addict, we know what happens—relapse.

What’s the safeguard between good pride and false pride? Gratitude. When we feel grateful, we know that we have had help in doing the things we are proud of. We share the joy with others, knowing they helped us by caring about us and being in our lives.
Prayer for the Day

Thank you, Higher Power, for the dignity and success and joy I feel when I know I am being useful in your world.
Today's Action

I will list five things I did today that I can feel proud of in a good way. Did I take good care of my health? Did I say a kind word to someone? Did I do my job well?

Today's reading is from the book God Grant Me, More Daily Meditations from the Authors of Keep It Simple