Re:Verse reading 2 Corinthian 12:1-10 (day three)
To keep me from becoming conceited…
Can you be trusted with power? Whether it’s a car engine or a piece of exclusive news, the opportunities to exercise power over others exert a strong force on your life. What is it about seeing motorists recede in your rearview mirror, or watching others hang on your every word as you reveal something they’re dying to know? Horsepower and headlines will tend to convince you that you’re important—and then, more important than others. Those are relatively low stakes, but what happens when pride arises in matters of greater importance? Pride will render a heart incapable of love. And so, further questions: What would you do if you did not love? Why would you not view others as obstacles to your will? Paul isn’t talking about being “stuck up”. He’s talking about being deadly.
Hubris could be developed after a person encounters a consistent period of success. Excessive pride and overconfidence are the source of personal weakness, not strength. In an organizational context, they are a liability for their organization.
It is easy to fall into the hubris trap if we are negligent, unaware of the fast changes in our society and in the internal and external environment. In this fast changing world, past success is not a guarantee for future success. In fact, past success can be a fatal failure in the new environment.
Someone with an authority in decision-making May begin taking on excessive risk if he or she makes business or organizational decision without fully considering all other factors or without thinking through the consequences. In many cases, people overcome by hubris will bring about their own downfall.
Good topic to tackle on. Happy Thanksgiving!
Love this, Bryan! Thanks for your insights.