I’ve done it. You’ve done it. And, still, many do it.
Arrogance is a horrible human trait that we all hate, but so often we find ourselves caught up in it, behaving like fools hurting others and ourselves.
The magnificent book of Esther, which by the way shuts down toxic feminist and lesbian arguments about God being sexist, but also has incredible accounts of humanist arrogance and the destruction it causes.
Queen Esther humbles all of us, reminding us that humility wins wars that arrogance creates.
Haman, the king of Persia’s top advisor, reflects so many of us today. He suffers from a place of insecurity (we don’t know why) that is typified by his positional leadership. Positional leaders are people who are in positions of authority that they don’t truly deserve. They wield power and authority so that others will praise them for their position instead of inspiring cooperation through their character.
Esther 5 vs 11-12 opens up our eyes to this insecure man’s perception of self by hiding behind arrogance as a sign of success and authority. As we read Esther 5 vs 11-12, we can only but pity this historical figure for being so small that stuff is their claim to fame.
Notice how desperately needy for validation through the opinions of others Haman is?
Haven’t we all done it somewhere in our lives?
We experience it all the time:
* Name dropping
* Flashy clothing labels
* Social circle status-hunger
* Fame-whoring
* Food supremacy
* VVIP
* Church cliques
* Boys club
But, we like Haman in Esther 5, are quickly exposed when we run into people who aren’t taken by our arrogance.
We see this in Haman’s case a few verses earlier in Esther 5. Mordecai, Esther’s uncle is resisting Haman who wants to commit genocide on the Jews because they worship The Living God, not him. Mordecai’s focus is on a cause greater than himself, whereas Haman is so self-praising that he has decreed to cancel-by-murder an entire group of people.
How often has arrogance led to revenge and spite as it tries to force itself onto others to recognize its delusions of grandeur?
I must be honest and confess a moment when someone irritated me so much that my sharp tongue (although deserved) went to battle.
It is a funny story, nonetheless.
Someone posted that they were at an exclusive roof party. Pictures of drunken poses matched.
To which I responsed, “I am sure you meant Private, because neither roof tops or parties are exclusive. In fact, they are both quite common.”
Obviously, I was wrong to be mean, but I was right in my assessment. I laugh at myself, till this day, because I can get ruthless when arrogance lands in my lap.
🤣🤣🤣
‘PsycheMechanics’ offers some delicious insights into the psychology of arrogance and why it leads us to revenge when our delusions of grandeur aren’t validated.
To quote, ‘ Arrogance can be defined as the personality trait whereby a person has an obnoxiously elevated sense of self-worth. An arrogant person is the one who acts as if they’re superior, more worthy, and more important than others. Therefore, they tend to disrespect and put others down. At the same time, they want admiration and respect from others.’
‘PsycheMechanics’ further informs us regarding the dynamics of this toxic human behaviour. They state, ‘Our subconscious mind is always comparing our life with our peers to measure our progress in the things that matter to us. Know that just because you did something great doesn’t mean you’re a superhuman. You have some weak points too.
Arrogance stems from one’s need to appear more worthy than another to gain the acceptance of people.
Another common reason behind arrogance is that you’re trying to protect your ego and self-worth. You may behave arrogantly to hide your insecurity, inferiority, and a lack of confidence. If you’re insecure and you fear rejection from other people, then you may behave arrogantly towards them. Arrogance, in this case, helps you to kind of reject others before they can reject you.’ – https://www.psychmechanics.com/personality-traits-arrogance/
Life coach Mike Robbins gives us some interesting thoughts to consider, to help us. God repeatedly tells us that He resists the proud, so let’s look at some advice to help us lower our arrogant self-righteousness in a time where cancel-culture is celebrated despite the violent destruction it brings. As it always has.
To quote Mike Robbins: ‘Removing our self-righteousness doesn’t mean watering down our opinions or decreasing our passions, it means letting go of the arrogant notion that we are “Right” (with a capital R) and that anyone who disagrees with us is “wrong.” It’s okay and often important to have strong opinions. And, it can be essential to believe in our values about life, work, and everything else. However, understanding the difference between conviction and self-righteousness is essential. We’ve all had experiences when we thought we were 100 percent right about something, only to realize, upon further reflection, that we were actually wrong. As humbling as this can be, remembering this can help us from crossing the line over to self-righteousness and give us the perspective to stay in a place of healthy conviction.
It Takes Willingness and Maturity to Let Go of Self-Righteousness‘
https://mike-robbins.com/maybe-people-dont-listen-to-you-because-of-your-self-righteousness/
PRAY THIS:
Father,
Please shine Your Holy Spirit into all the places where unhealed insecurities parade as arrogant self-righteousness. Please expose why I behave this way and make me willing to unlearn this toxic trait. Please clothe me with the humility of Jesus. Forgive me for acting this way.
In Your Holy Name Messiah King Jesus.
AMEN
#Hayibo 