My Land Full of Idols

A short time ago, my wife and I were reading together in 2 Nephi. In chapter 12, Jacob is quoting a prophesy of Isaiah about our days. Verse 8 reads, “Their land is also full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made.” As I read that, my heart dropped. He was talking about me.

Immediately I remembered how proud I have felt about accomplishments at work; I remembered how I feel more talented than others in my CS classes because of what I do; I remembered how it makes me feel like I’m somebody that’s worth something.

Even Hobbes understands how ridiculous this is:

Of the passions that most frequently are the causes of crime [or sin], one, is vain glory, or a foolish overrating of their own worth; as if difference of worth, were an effect of their wit, or riches, or blood, or some other natural quality... (Hobbes, Leviathan: Pt. 2, Ch 27)

He’s right. I was foolishly overrating my own worth.

As my wife and I continued reading, I learned of my plight:

“For the day of the Lord of Hosts soon cometh upon all nations, yea, upon every one; yea, upon the proud and lofty, and upon every one who is lifted up, and he shall be brought low.”

That prophesy was quickly fulfilled in my own life. First, weaknesses in my talents were exposed. For a week I had been trying to fix a bug in a program I was writing for one of my classes. Finally the due date came and I still hadn’t figured it out. So much for programming talent.

Then General Conference began and Elder Uchtdorf threw me down even lower as he spoke of the evils and dangers of pride.

Pride is sinful... because it breeds hatred or hostility and places in opposition to God and our fellow men. At its core, pride is the sin of comparison. For though it usually begins with ‘Look at how wonderful I am and what great things I have done’ it always seems to end with ‘therefore I am better than you.’ When our hearts are filled with pride we commit a great sin, for we violate the two great commandments. Instead of worshipping God and loving our neighbor, we reveal the real object of our worship and love: the image we see in the mirror.

I stood chastised, repentant, and humbled. My vision was corrected. I remembered how I had previously thought: I was grateful for talents and work that allowed me to provide for my family and focus on things which mattered more. Hopefully I can maintain that perspective for a prolonged period of time.