I hope today’s lesson can be of use to youth ministries, family devotionals, family counselors and family home evenings. I am always looking for new ways to present a theme. And right now I’m see how humor can contribute to the theme of Pride.

Joke: In my senior year I reluctantly took a required psychology course. The first day, the professor commented on each student’s major, trying to provoke a response. It was working – some students were becoming defensive. When it was my turn, I told him I was a music major.

“So,” asked my professor, “what does your father think of you wasting your education to study music?”
“He’s just thankful,” I shot back, “that I didn’t go into psychology.”

Lesson: When we work hard to achieve a goal, it is very good to feel accomplished for reaching that objective. We remember the effort and sacrifice of our efforts and so it would be logical that we have a satisfaction that we were successful. Achieving a goal often includes gaining knowledge, some object and can improve our self worth.

I see PRIDE as an excessive sense of accomplishment and it might even be unjustified. We might enjoy flaunting a title we possess or feel better than someone else because of our possessions. We might feel we are better than someone else because we dress better than them or we think we’re are more enlightened intellectually, politically of socially.

Pride can often interfere with us being open to learning. We may think we ‘know it all’. Often a prideful person can be a person who is difficult to interact with because they may act cocky.

As a family or class discuss the consequences of too much pride. Maybe include the positive effectiveness of Pride’s opposite, humility and being teachable.

If you have a joke that would make a good lesson, or if you have some thoughts on the consequences of pride, please feel free to comment at the bottom of this blog.