This week we’ll take a look at one of the great talks from the priesthood session.
“Pride and the Priesthood”
President Dieter F. Uctdorf
“It is almost impossible to be lifted up in pride when our hearts are filled with charity. “No one can assist in this work except he shall be humble and full of love.” When we see the world around us through the lens of the pure love of Christ, we begin to understand humility.”
Share in the comments some things you learned or appreciated as you studied this talk. If this is your first time visiting the General Conference Book Club, click here for more information.
Diapers and Divinity 
Thank you for selecting this talk! It is amazing! I think this will take a place next to Pres. Bensons’ talk on pride. I think I like Pres. Uchtdorf’s better because his takes a very personal approach that shows how we can apply these principles in our everyday lives. I’ll read this one over and over again.
One of my favorite lines–
“We don’t discover humility by thinking less of ourselves; we discover humility by thinking less about ourselves.”
Oh gosh… I really needed this! I heard it during conference, but needed to hear it again. Thank you for posting this!
I love this idea for a Book Club, I’m going to put a link to it next week on my blog if you don’t mind:).
Of course. Please do!
I just listened to this talk last week, and I loved it! SO glad to have a chance to think about it again.
My favorite part was:
“Some suppose that humility is about beating ourselves up. Humility does not mean convincing ourselves that we are worthless, meaningless, or of little value. Nor does it mean denying or withholding the talents God has given us. We don’t discover humility by thinking less of ourselves; we discover humility by thinking less about ourselves. It comes as we go about our work with an attitude of serving God and our fellowman.”
I remember Sister Dew always speaking with such confidence and conviction in our power as women to do good in the world. I’m beginning to think more and more that my fears to try to “make a difference” (even a small one) stems from, as Pres. Uchtdorf suggests, thinking about myself instead of others. If I want to be the type of woman that Sister Dew promises I can be, I have to take a deep breath, stop thinking about my fears, and just do it!
Thanks Stephanie for this incredible idea – I’m going to put you on my new blogroll and come back each week to participate.
Before you put this talk up, I have thought about how this applies to me. Pride affects the heart. As disciples of Jesus Christ we are commanded to have a broken heart and a contrite spirit (meaning we want to be receptive to the Holy Ghost and not be prideful, right?). A lady in my ward pointed out that a hard heartedness is prideful and can go both ways with an elevated status or a down-cast persecuted status.
President Uchdorf talks about how pride is a comparison between two people, things, circumstances, and lives. He talks about how this comparison will elevate the standing of one person above another. I believe that the opposite is true also – that the comparison can have someone feel worse about their self and what they lack. The comparison is as damaging as an elevated sense of self. I feel that I fit into the other end of being prideful. I can list many of the things I will never be in comparison to other such as beauty, a clean house, how well I express myself plus a myriad of other things that are personally very painful. Satan and his hosts take those thought and start a very real barrage of accompanying thoughts to confirm what I have compared myself. President Uchdorf said in a different talk that there are some people who just don’t like themselves.
I know that prophets speak truth. I know that God lives and loves us. I know that Satan’s attacks are real and felt and can create a hard heart. I also recognize that the atonement is real and that pride can be given to the Savior if so desired. Being prideful can be comfortable because change is hard. Very hard.