JULY 2001
Volume 30 Issue 7 No. 304
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JULY 2001 Volume 30 Issue 7 No. 304 |
Dr. Lilian Stanley
Seven years ago the monsoon failed in Western Orissa. Thereafter repeated monsoon failure paved the path for
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"Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble." (Js 1:27) |
a severe drought. Today’s scientific prediction is that the situation is prelude to certain districts turning to desert. The local newspapers were bringing information about the famine in nine districts. Photographs highlighted starvation deaths, beeline for water, TB, migration and sale of children. From Ramagiri I made a brief visit to this area accompanied by Missionaries Mr. & Mrs. Samal. What we saw in the villages and read in the newspapers made us cry. When I shared this with our leaders, they sent me again alongwith Mrs. Sakuntala Israel of Palayamkottai and our Missionary Philip Bishoy for a more detailed study. Herebelow we give an account of what we saw.
Fifteen Days on Four Wheels
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"There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared symp- tuously everyday. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table." (Lk 16:19-21) |
The TV was repeatedly flashing news about the heat-wave and death-toll in Orissa. But we decided to take up the survey in the barbecuing heat of May so we can get to the people before some more died. Temperature soared to 48 degrees celcius on some days and we had to wrap wet towels around us to prevent heat-stroke. On the whole we covered 58 villages.
There were atleast one or two starving middle aged or old persons in many of the villages. Some get an old age pension of Rs. 100/- per month (US $ 2) which lasts hardly for a week after which they resort to begging. The houses are generally mud huts measuring 6'x8' with some rags and vessels. We could not even find a handful of rice or dhal or oil when we inspected. Every day was a struggle for survival for them. We saw a malnourished lady weak and sitting on a cot. We asked her what she had eaten. She replied in a shaky voice, "Nothing since morning." It was 8 pm when we met her.
Widows whose husbands died of starvation struggle to feed their children. We visited the house of Dukiram who died of starvation leaving behind the young widow and four children to their fate.
We offered to take some to an Old Age Home. The desperate ones were willing. But some felt very insecure to leave their huts and village to come to a strange place to strange people. It was quite understandable and we thought of ways to feed them in their own places. Daud, a fine Christian in his 70’s, was praying, "Lord, give me something to eat or take me." He and his wife readily agreed to come to a Home.
Some own one or two acres of land which they lease for Rs. 50/- per year because of the drought. When they become old and helpless their lands are swindled. The rich have borewells and motors to irrigate their lands.
We felt sorry to see some who had lost their minds because of the stress of the drought and death of loved ones. They kept crying and blabbering, narrating their sad story over and over again.
There are orphans who have lost their parents to starvation. Prekren and his wife Premsila were woodcutters with three children aged 12, 4 and 2. Prekren graudally became weak, took to bed and died. Three months later Premsila followed suit leaving the three children to their fate. Now the children are with his brother Domburu. We asked Domburu why he did not feed his own brother. He was feeding him for sometime. When he found he could not even feed his own wife and two sons, he stopped feeding him.
We found him angry and shaking his fist. Seeing his name in the newspaper, some men had come one evening in a vehicle and taken him and Premsila’s children to a place 6km away explaining that a team from Delhi had sent him gifts and so they wanted to take his photograph. Having taken the photograph without giving any gift they left him at 10 pm to walk back 6km to his village with the children. Our blood simmered to hear his outburst and we ached with him. He screamed, "If no one is going to help me I am planning to sell the children." His family of seven lives on 2 kg rice per day which he gets by digging a pond under the Food for Work government programme. Meeting people after such people sent us into an emotional tailspin.
Many have the BPL Card (Below Poverty Line Card) with which they can purchase 16 kg rice a month for Rs.5/- per kg, but do not have the money to purchase the rice. Since the Card is useless for them some sell it to others for Rs. 100/-. The rich bribe the officials and purchase BPL Cards. In some villages BPL rice is supplied once in two or three months only. Poachers steal truckloads of BPL rice and sell it back to the Food Corporation of India.
People cry, "Give us food, give us water, give us jobs." In desperation people are building temples to appease their gods. Women carry pots of precious water to pour on the goddess of rain.
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"Deliver those who are drawn to death. If you say, Surely we did not know this, Does not He who weighs the heart consider it?" (Prov 24:11,12) |
In a village plunged in darkness with no street lights we found poles and electric wires. We discovered that it was an electrified village but people (except one or two) were too poor to take connection. People roll cigars and sell 2000 for Rs.20/-. Some make leaf plates and cups and sell. Because they have no money to invest, these leaves are their easy investment.
There is mass migration to other States. In some villages nearly 50% had migrated. Their houses are locked or inhabited by their aged parents. The young and strong move out to Hyderabad, Raipur, Assam and other places in search of jobs as labourers. Some of their houses collapse in due course. Crushed and ground down by years of poverty, hardly daring to hope that a change would come to better their lot, they leave their parched lands in search of green pastures. Think of them in alien lands, not knowing the language with no place to stay, begging for jobs! Many die, are exploited or return home disappointed. People feel there is nothing in the village but to put out the lights, lock the door and leave. May be God is taking the people out of this State that they may have a fair chance to listen to the gospel. The old and ailing who are left behind face the drought boldly. They had no complaints because they knew that the survival of their sons and daughters itself was a big question mark.
The government and certain non-governmental organisations are providing borewells for villages. Many are good, some are defunct and a few are running dry. But in many villages people are not able to use the borewell for washing and bathing because of the queue. They use dirty pond water even to brush their teeth. It was a nauseating sight. We would wash our feet on getting home if we had set foot on the pond!
Children have no scope at all. Some have stopped going to school and taken to begging. Certainly for starving stomachs education is not a priority. Some go for the sake of midday meals. There are schools but visited by teachers occasionally. Health Centres are a distant dream for villages. In bigger villages there are Primary Health Centres but no doctors. A nurse visits once a week.
A gut-wrenching practice is the sale of children. We interviewed one Ramprasad who had bought a child. He said, "I was unwilling to ‘buy’ a girl child. I have two sons and no daughters. So I was in search of a girl child for adoption. At that time Syamlal fell prostrate at my feet and begged me to buy his three year old daughter. He was sick and had no money for his treatment. His family had not eaten for three days. He said in any case he was going to sell her. So I bought her for Rs. 5000/-."
We met Syamlal. His wife had gone to see her sold-out daughter. They are not heartless parents but parents like you and me whose bowels knot for our children. Harsh poverty had driven them to sell the fruit of their womb. These are not poor or beggars but landowners and houseowners reduced to nothing. We met another starved family looking for prospective buyers for their children.
Our next concern was Tuberculosis. There is an appalling number of TB patients. Since they have to pay for the "free" treatment, patients go to the centre whenever they have money. So much so, they keep taking treatment for 3-5 years. Such things made us helplessly angry.
Christian patients are charged that they receive money from foreign countries and demanded money. We had
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"Do not lay up treasures for yourselves on earth where supercyclones and earthquakes will take them." |
read the names of Mahadev Ganith and Rajaram Rout in the newspapers that they are suffering from TB and starving. When we reached their villages they had already died and gone to be with the...? (who knows with whom they are?) The newspaper said Mahadev was reading Bagavat Gita in hope of getting to Heaven. It was a common sight in villages.
We met Debendra, a 35 or 40 year old skin and bone man lying in a manger. It was obvious that TB was consuming him. He gets 7 ½ kg of rice per month from the government for emergency feeding. Someone cooks it for him and feeds him. These people are lucky if they get a chilly to bite with the rice. We arranged for him to be admitted in a hospital. We later heard that he was promptly admitted but died after 15 days. We were happy he had a clean bed and good food atleast at the end of his life. In a village when we asked a man why he was not taking treatment for his tuberculosis, he threw back his head, erupted in laughter and said, "We don’t even have money for food, Babu. How can we spend for medicines?"As somebody rightly commented, "It is not the disease that kills the man. It is the bill for the treatment that kills him." These poor have to pay for the ‘free treatment’ as we later found out.
Oh, how we wished our pockets were full of thousand rupee notes that kept coming like the five loaves and two fish so that we can wipe away poverty at the snap of the finger!
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"Whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth." (1 Jn 3:17,18) |
God sent many guardian angels to lead us in our way. Mr. and Mrs. Anoop fed us, packed our lunch and sent us with a prayer. Their home has became a second home for missionaries. Mr. Purnanando Pradhan, a Govt. official, Mr. & Mrs. Nag of Indienhilfe, Miss Latika, Asst. Pastor in the CNI Church, Pastor Hyal, Mr. Patnaik and many others helped us tremendously. Rev.C.K. Das, the CNI Bishop of the Sambalpur Diocese went out of the way to help us giving us the jeep and driver and arranging boarding and lodging for us wherever we went.
I lack the vocabulary to translate my feelings into words. The tales of gloom and doom evoked a resolve in us. What hurt us most is that these people are not introduced to the God to whom they can hold on to in times of crisis. They are weary and scattered like sheep having no shepherd. What we saw was just the tip of the iceberg. There are stretches and stretches of villages like these samples we saw. We were able to buy some provisions for the starving out of the money you sent us. Since we had gone just to survey we could not help much.
These people are not BPL but BDL (Below Death Line). They are already condemned to die, stumbling to the slaughter. When we read such news day in and day out our senses get dulled from repeated shocks and a feeling comes over that so much evil and misfortune mar the world that a little more or little less does not make much difference. Now we have lost our capacity for shock, and starvation deaths are just news for us.
So what shall we do for the perishing? Can we let them die under our very noses? Shall we shed a few drops of tears, dig their graves and plant sweet lilies when they are dead? Or shall we do something for them now? Lazarus was a neat case of starvation death and the rich man knew it. We cannot be fiddling when people are dying. We could have taken the earthquake or the supercyclone. But the whole world had its fingers on those pies. But the drought is not a crisis and not many are working there.
Here we are eating, drinking, trying out new recipes, stepping on the weighing machine daily, checking our
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"If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and then come, follow Me." (Mt 19:21) |
cholesterol annually, belching and taking gels for indigestion. On top of it all a multivitamin, a calcium tab and a Vit E! Have I left out Spirulina? There they are dying of starvation, digging for rats and eating them. People can die of diseases or accidents. That’s beyond us. But we cannot let them die of starvation. Does the Church of Christ have a conscience? Unless Christendom turns to practical religion it is not going to make a dent in this world by its pulpit-pounding preaching. God will require the blood of these people at our hands. How blind we are to the awe-inspiring simplicity and purity of the teachings of Jesus!
I especially appeal to the Christians of Orissa. Simply calling it a curse because of murder is blameshifting. We must also remember that God says, "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chr 7:14).
It is said that Gandhiji started wearing a towel around his waist only after seeing the poverty of the people in Orissa. We all cannot become Gandhijis. But atleast we can learn to live a simpler life. I am not ashamed to stand hat in hand before you. Here is an opportunity to clean up your house. Walk around your house and sweep up all that you really don’t need—things that you can do without—utensils, furniture, jewels, clothes, foodstuff, old computer, anything. Have a sale in your neighbourhood. Collect for our "FEED ORISSA" programme. Check your bank account. Many of us can easily do away with a few lakhs out of the abundance we have amassed. Write off your properties lying idle. You don’t need to give them to us for nothing. Just lend them to us and we will repay you with 15% interest (in Heaven). Spare us your vehicles. Come and help. Volunteers can take a long leave and sign up to help run a feeding centre. Retired couples need not languish in jobless boredom. You can help the poor get BPL Cards, demand free treatment for poor patients in Government Hospitals, see that BPL rice reaches villages. In short, you can change the climate by speaking up for those whose voices have been silenced by starvation. Any more ideas? We may not be able to slay the dragon of drought, but we can certainly rescue people from its throat.
I have read that, "For every tonne of surplus grain there is one starving person in the world." Poverty amidst prosperity! We are fortunate to be on the prosperity side. I cannot even forego a meal. I become dizzy and hypoglycaemic. I cannot imagine somebody dying of hunger pangs. I used to feel sorry for those who take kanji three times a day in our mission fields. Now I feel they are rich, unbelievably rich! They have something to sustain themselves.
Think of ways to help these unfortunate ones sitting on the scrap heap of life. They can be taught to keep pigeons, rabbits, poultry. If you have money for charity do not blow it away in your own place. We and our neighbours are blessed people. Invest in the drought area. We can invest Rs. 5000/- for a family with which they can do business. Training a person for weaving and presenting him with a loom costs Rs. 5000/-. That gives him a reasonable income. Sewing training and a sewing machine cost Rs. 5000/-. We can give Rs. 500/- a month to a family till it stands on its feet. You can take a family under your wings, find a job and educate the children. An
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It is wiser to save souls than to save money. |
old destitute person can be put in an Old Age Home for Rs. 500/- a month. Admission and treatment of a TB patient for nine months costs Rs. 5000/- (with food Rs. 10,000). A one room mud hut for a homeless family will cost Rs. 5000/-; two rooms Rs. 10,000/-. If children can be put in a hostel and sent to a good school their chances of coming up in life as effective Christian witnesses are good (Rs. 500/- per child). You can pay the salary of Rs. 2000/- towards an evangelist to work in these areas. Two goats Rs. 1000/-. A pair of oxen Rs. 5000/-. More suggestions welcome. I fall at your feet and beg you. Tomorrow even if you surrender all your wealth the Lord may not find any use for it. Today is the day. Tomorrow may be too late.
Bring your video cameras, shoot these people and publish the news throughout the nation. It will influence the mass mind. Let people repent of their greed, selfishness, luxury and gluttony. These poor can easily survive out of our trash. We must give account to God for every paisa we throw away wastefully and answer Him if we remain indifferent to human affairs.
The odds against our dreams for this desert land are astronomical. But believe me, friends, nothing shall be impossible for us if we put our heads and hearts, hands and purses together. Many villages are still waiting for their share of the crumbs. Let us fight relentlessly to give these people a better life even though it seems to be a massive social problem that defies solutions. We need technical personnel and expert advice. If you can visit the places you can suggest ways to get the people back on their feet. What they need is a way out, not a handout. Now they are like oxen fallen down because of the unbearable burden. You can lift up their weight long enough for them to stand up. Just feeding the starving is no solution. We must get to the bottom of the problem. Unless we interfere, there is no light at the end of their tunnel. They are facing a great black wall. What does the new millennium hold for these except a bleak future?
May be when you read about Somalia you had an urge to go and serve there. May be you couldn’t go that far. Now here’s a Somalia within your reach. Why not plunge yourself? Peter left the security of his boat to walk on the sea.To be in the boat would have spelt safety. But he would have missed a miracle. Whenever your faith goes down the Lord will lift you up. What are you waiting for? You are not going to get a better opportunity to serve the Lord than NOW.
Nehemiah did not see a vision nor did God tell him to go to Jerusalem and rebuild it. He only heard about the disaster, prayed and acted. Neither was the operation trouble-free. He had to struggle through. A myriad problems will throw up. But we should not be scared to go off the beaten track.
Some of us leaders of Blessing Youth Mission will be visiting this area in Orissa to work out an action plan to save the starving and the suffering. Write to us immediately how you would like to involve in this project. We will send you further details. You can address me C/o Blessing Youth Mission, Church Colony, Vellore 632 006, India or E-mail: bym@vsnl.com
Dear Student Friends,
It must be really exciting to enter another academic year! Congratulations for passing the examinations. Give thanks to God who honoured your hard work. Basically all wisdom and knowledge come from Him. We must never lose sight of the loving hand of God that is on us in every detail of our life. So many even intelligent and industrious students could not sit for the final exams because of sudden setback in health. In spite of hard work but poor performance, there are several others who have failed. Sorry if you have had any such mishap. Don’t get discouraged or disheartened. Folks may insult you or despise you, but the dear Lord Jesus loves you as you are and He will not leave you. With His help you will fare better next time. Failure is not final. God can make good in His own way the loss of one year.
Some of you are awaiting the results of your competitive exams. Your anxiety is understandable. But if you have committed your future in the hands of God, you can be assured that He will give you what He knows would be best for you. Thank God if you are able to get into the course you have been longing for. Even otherwise don’t get dejected. Man’s disappointments may be God’s appointments.
Don’t feel unfortunate if you are not able to pay heavy capitation fee to get into certain covetable courses. Quality of life is not decided exclusively by the standard of courses and colleges but by the blessing of God. I was privileged to do my Master’s degree in Technology in the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, 1968-70. But as I quickly look back at the 31 years which have passed by, my testimony is what was told about Joseph of the Old Testament: "The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man" (Genesis 39:2).
In today’s world the popularity of any course hardly stays long. Let’s trust God who knows the end from the beginning. In contrast to His foreknowledge we are all toooo shortsighted. Learn to follow God’s guidance. In the sixties the first preference of rank holders in Engineering Colleges was Mechanical Engineering. Electrical Engineering was next and there was no competition whatsoever for Civil Engineering. As a top ranker I could have cakewalked into the Mechanical Engineering class. But as I waited on the Lord, He impressed on me to choose Civil. I least realized at that time (1964) that God had been preparing me to become a "builder" of His Kingdom!
Adjusting to a new place if you have moved out of your hometown may not be easy. One of the riches of India is its multifarious cultures. As a Christian you must love crosscultural situations, because God loves all people alike. No race is superior or inferior to the other. Be dead to casteism and regionalism and mix freely with all. But be careful with the choice of close friends. Befriend the simple and the lowly. You must be extremely cautious during the first few weeks when you would be making choices in the new set-up. Bad company will ruin your student life and spoil your future.
For some of you this may be the first hostel experience. Being away from home, if it is a hostel with only minimum restrictions, you will feel like a free bird. The parental strictness and constant watch are no more there. Don’t use this as a licence to go where you like and do what you desire, but an opportunity to learn to handle liberty. This is how you would mature. Respect the warden and the hostel rules. Don’t stay away from the hostel in late evenings, especially in cities.
With all your new friends and a busy curriculum you may not miss your parents too much, but they would miss you terribly. Write to them atleast once a week. Nowadays you can telephone as and when you like, but it’s nothing like writing. Developing this discipline will have a positive effect in so many areas of your life.
Hostel food may be monotonous. Nevertheless don’t become choosy. You will develop deficiencies. Cut down on junk food. Soft drinks are definitely harmful.
Choose a good local Church where there’s solid Bible teaching, youth emphasis and missionary vision. Don’t become too involved in activities to do justice to your studies and assignments. Join the Campus Prayer Group if there’s one in your college or hostel. Otherwise start one in a hostel room or someone’s residence closeby. Invite committed Christian staff, if any, to help in your gatherings. Get in touch with Students For Jesus(SFJ, Post Bag 609, Vellore 632 006) or Union of Evangelical Students of India (UESI, 10 Millers Road, Kilpauk, Chennai 600 010) to systematise your campus ministry. SFJ is Charismatic and UESI is non-Charismatic. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses.
You may come across some good Christian families in Church services or special meetings. Visit them if invited, but don’t go there too often.
These are days of stiff competition. A mere pass or even a first class is not sufficient. Aim to score high and work really hard. Be regular in attendance. Be attentive in the class. Textbooks and guidebooks may be there, but taking down notes in lecture classes is the first step in the learning process. Do the home assignments yourself. Don’t take weekly or monthly tests lightly. They are meant to prepare you for the finals. Don’t postpone to do everything during the study holidays. Library is not a luxury. You should know more than what will be asked in the exams.
Choose atleast one extracurricular activity, otherwise your growth will not be balanced. Sports and games are not a waste of time, but they must not rob your regular study time. If possible, learn to play a musical instrument. It will be a boon to God’s work. Visit the common reading room and read good stuff. Note down new words, phrases, proverbs, quotes, etc., and use them freely. A senior in the college taught me this in 1962 and it has come in handy in my writing ministry today.
Be known for your pleasantness. Learn good manners from fellow students. Respect teachers and obey them. Be jovial but avoid coarse jokes. Don’t pick up too much of slang. It will be difficult to change later on when you move into respectable societies. Don’t take active part in strikes. Never ever join those who destroy properties.
Dress fashionably and smartly but modestly. Don’t wear clothes which destroy sex distinction. Don’t ask how short is too short or how tight is too tight. Avoid extremes. Wash innerwears daily. Don’t pressurise parents to get you expensive clothing or footwear. Branded stuff is not a must. Look for comfort and presentability. Learning to live without will prepare you for future however difficult it might be. I am a living testimony to the advantage of disadvantages. Don’t demand too much of pocket money from parents.
This generation is crazy after entertainments. Don’t get into this trap and spoil your studies. You do need relaxation but avoid too much of anything. Keep yourself sexually pure. Maintain a distance with opposite sex. It’s a myth that falling in love during student days is macho. This is a distraction to be definitely avoided, if you seek to achieve academic excellence. I am not advising seclusion but sociality with self-control.
Drugs is becoming commonplace in campuses. Beware of the beginnings! Smoking or drinking injures health undoubtedly. Why then should you do it even occasionally? Keep away from any addictive habit. Stay alert. Prevention is better than cure. Seek the help of senior Christians if you get hooked up in premarital sex or drugs or whatever. Don’t hesitate to approach professional counsellors. If you need confidential help through correspondence, you can contact my daughter Evangeline Stanley who is UK trained in Christian Counselling. She also gives personal appointments. Write to her c/o Post Bag 609, Vellore 632 006, or dial 0416-246662. I have answered questions youth normally ask in my book, To Dear Students... Get it from any of the branches of Blessing Youth Mission.
However busy you may be with your studies, don’t neglect or cut short your Quiet Time with God. Begin the day with atleast 30 minutes of Bible meditation and prayer. Before retiring to bed, spend a few minutes on your knees thanking God for His protection and provision. Confess any known sin to Him and be cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Commit your life in His hands and sleep off.
Participate in a Gospel outreach programme atleast once a fortnight. Tract distribution, open-air preaching, hospital visitation and village evangelism will suit you. Above all, share the Gospel with your classmates and hostelmates. Personal soulwinning is by far the best. I was brought to Christ by my Chemistry lecturer.
Let me close with a Bible text which was the rule during my college days (1962-70) as well as career years(1971-75): "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you"(Matthew 6:33).
All the best!
Uncle Stanley
Before God created man, He created the angels. Some of them fell due to pride and God had to create a place called "hell" for them.
While creating man, God prudently took many precautions so that man would not become proud and fall like the angels. For instance, our loving and caring God made man out of dust, so that he would not boast of the material with which he was made. Since man was the crown of creation, God could have made him on the very first day of His creation; but man was the last of God’s creation. Had God created man on the first day of His creation, man could have boasted of helping the Lord all throughout the six remaining days. Although God took all these precautions, man chose to do his own will and stepped out of God’s protective boundaries. Thus, pride now sticks to him like a blood-sucking worm.
Most of the sins of man are either directly or indirectly connected with pride. Pride is like a bottomless pit. There is more evil in pride than we can imagine.
Pride and anger are closely connected. An angry man is a proud man, and a proud man is an angry man. Anger is a sure sign of exceeding pride. "...the pride of Moab (he is exceeding proud)... I know his wrath..." (Jer 48:29,30). "We have heard of the pride of Moab; he is very proud... his pride and wrath" (Isa 16:6). "Proud and haughty scorner is his name, who deals in proud wrath" (Prov 21:24). Saul was angry with David many times because, in his pride, he could not accept David as the God-appointed king of Israel. King Uzziah was lifted up with pride and was very angry with God’s servants. As a result of his anger, leprosy rose up on his forehead (2 Chr 26:16-19).
If we humble ourselves and realize that we are nothing but dust, there is then nothing to be offended about, even when people speak evil of us or treat us badly. After all, ‘dust’ has no right to be offended, even if people trample on it or spit on it. A humble person can never get hurt when reproached, ridiculed, humiliated, or persecuted. When we are hurt, it is our pride that is hurt. Although we may never admit it, we are actually confessing that we have deep pride when we say, "I am deeply hurt." "The most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up" (Jer 50:32). No one, man or angel, will be able to help the most proud when he is fallen. What a frightening Scripture! When people fall because of various other sins, they may be helped, but when people fall because of pride, no one is able to help. This is just one of the terrible consequences of pride.
Pride makes one unteachable. A proud person cannot be corrected or disciplined. If someone tries to teach or correct him, he may react and shout: "I know everything. No one needs to correct to teach me!" But one who is proud knows nothing (1 Tim 6:4) and he cannot be taught anything. Thus, pride makes one independent (overtaken by the spirit of independence). He believes that he does not need to consult anyone, that he is always right, and that there is no need for him to hear someone else’s opinion. The meek and humble can be taught and corrected. "He teach His way to the meek" (Psa 25:9).
When Jesus came to this world, He taught us many things. He always spoke about the greatness of His Father. The only time He spoke about Himself (His character) is stated in Matthew 11:29, "... learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest on to your souls." What a blessed truth! Jesus is meek and lowly and that is the only thing that He specifically asked us to learn from Him. If we learn from Him, we will find rest to our souls. The whole world is restless because it has rejected the good counsel of our Lord. However, those few who have learned His meekness and lowliness are a blessed people, and they have rest in their souls.
Self-pity is a clear indication of long-cherished pride. Kind Saul was almost an embodiment of this product of pride. He said, "There is none of you is sorry for me" (1 Sam 22:8). Such people always complain and murmur saying, "Nobody cares for me, nobody loves me, nobody understands me, nobody accepts me." In their pride, they expect everyone to care for them and love them. The humble will always think of loving, helping and caring for others. Pouring out our lives in service for others and for the glory of God can only be done as we humble ourselves. Proud people concentrate on their rights and what others have not done for them. In contrast, humble people concentrate on their responsibilities and what they can do for others as children of God. The only right the humble have is to give up their rights. The proud are self-conscious, but the humble are God-conscious.
Most financial debts are the result of pride. Proud people believe that they need more comforts than they can afford and that they deserve more luxuries than what God has provided for them. The love of money is the root of all evil, but pride is actually the seed of all evil. The root can only come from the seed. The humble live simply and thus they have no worries about their finances. Humility and faith are perfectly linked. The Syrophenician woman and the Centurion were praised for their great faith, as they both manifested great humility (Mt 8:5-10; 15:22-28).
Pride makes us envious. "He is proud... where from comes envy" (1 Tim 6:4). When others are honoured, we cannot rejoice; we get upset and angry at them. King Saul’s envy was his downfall. When the women of Israel sang, "Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands," his pride was hurt. Moved with envy, he wanted to destroy David. Envy causes our feet to slip into the pit of hell. "But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well near slipped. For I was envoius at the foolish" (Psa 73:2,3). It is told that one of the worst pains in the human body is the pain of decaying bones. This is what envy does to the human soul. "A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones" (Prov 14:30).
The Jews killed Jesus because of envy (Mt 27:18). The cure of envy is Christlike humility. Have you ever prayed like John the Baptist, "Lord, I want to decrease. Lord, please make me smaller every day till I become invisible and disappear"? This is Christlike humility.
Pride will not allow us to admit our own mistakes. It will always cause us to find a lame excuse or lay the blame on someone else. Unlike many other sins, pride makes us blind to our own faults and magnifies the faults of others. Adam and Eve, because of the "pride of life," acted in this way (Gen 3:11-13).
Christ’s humility is unique. When Pilate, the Sadducees, and the Pharisees laid so many false accusations against Him, He kept silent. While our Lord was hanging on the Cross, many mocked at Him and spoke insulting words, but He opened not his mouth. Potiphar’s wife accused Joseph of immorality, but Joseph also kept silent. Naturally, man is quick to defend himself and blame others. If Joseph had defended himself and accused Mrs. Potiphar, who would have believed him? Joseph kept his mouth shut and when the right time came, God promoted and vindicated him. How true the Word of God is!
Are we being falsely accused and misunderstood? When the right time comes, God will justify us. When God defends and justifies us, all the mouths against us will be shut.
Pride keeps us from realizing how patient God has been with us, and thus, it will make us impatient with the mistakes of others. It is a true saying, "The more perfect we are, the more we bear the imperfections of others; the more imperfect we are, the more impatient we will be with others’ mistakes."
The proud in spirit cannot be patient in spirit. The patient in spirit will have a better end than the proud in spirit. "Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit" (Eccl 7:8). "You have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord" (Js 5:11). Because Job was patient, his end was just like the end of the Lord.
Very often, discouragement and depression are the results of pride. Elijah thought he was better than his fathers (1 Ki 19:4). Once he realized that he was wrong, his pride was crushed and he was thoroughly discouraged, to the extent that he wanted to die. Jonah also wanted to die when his pride was hurt.
People through discouragement even commit suicide. But many do not realize that the root of most discouragement is pride. Ahithophel was a very wise counselor whose counsels were greatly respected by the kings. One day, Absalom rejected his counsel and accepted the counsel of someone else. His pride was deeply wounded and he became so greatly depressed and discouraged that he committed suicide (2 Sam 17:23). Some of David’s outstanding qualities were his humility and gentleness. There was a time in Ziklag that he had lost everything: his wives, children, house, etc. His own followers wanted to stone him! Anyone in such a situation would probably be discouraged. Yet, "David encouraged himself in the Lord" (1 Sam 30:6).
At times, people also feel condemned because of pride. (1 Tim 3:6). Condemnation can devastate even the most saintly people. People can come to a state where they will condemn themselves by saying, "I have no hope, God has forsaken me; I have committed terrible sins that God will never forgive; I am on my way to hell." Condemnation is a tormenting spirit. Humble people however will never be overcome by this evil spirit.
Human fear is also connected with pride. Fear is the anticipation of losing something. The fear of death is the anticipation of losing life. The fear of the future is the anticipation of losing something good in the future. God gives grace to the humble. All the goodness of God can be called the grace of God. The humble is compassed and crowned with all the goodness of God and has no reason to fear. In Psalm 34:4-6, we read that, when the poor (humble) man cried, the Lord heard him and delivered him from all his troubles and all his fears.
"That God might humble you...to do you good in the end" (Dt 8:16). God humbles us so that our end can become better than our beginning. Therefore, the more we are humbled by the will of God, the more we should rejoice.
(From PILGRIMS JOURNAL, Aug-Sep 2000)