~ at Athens/Atlantis/9178 ~ 
| Entrance | Table of Contents | Purpose | Introduction | Daily Actions | Assignment One | Assignment Two, parts 1,2,3 | Assignment Two, part 4 | Assignment Three | Assignment Four, intro | Assignment Four, part 1 |
Assignment Seven: 
As we touched on in the previous assignment, false-pride, motivated by fear ~
 When we speak of "false-pride" is to differentiate a healthy, positive form of pride in which one rightfully feels good about one's self or about someone close. There is nothing wrong with being proud of our accomplishments, but when carried to an extreme, where we are unable to admit when we are wrong, unable to set things straight with someone important to us, and find ourselves doing and saying things which causes harm to ourselves and others because of such "pride", it then becomes a liability rather than an asset. By the same token, we can also experience "pride in reverse" in which we constantly belittle ourselves, feeling inferior and unworthy. This is another expression of pride, which simply tells us we are so much worse than everyone else, rather than telling us we are superior. Most of us experience a little of both, though one may be more of a problem than the other.
There's certainly nothing wrong with gaining material possessions and wealth, nor with wanting to love and be loved. However, for some, the drive for financial or emotional security has caused more than our share of problems. When there is never enough of what we think we want, we become driven by our natural instincts, rather then being in control. When we constantly demand attention, recognition, love, and to be number one in everything, we drive people away from us. Feeling unjustly wounded or rejected, we often lash out in anger or jealousy, demanding still more. It is only when we can gain true humility that we can hope to be useful and have the faith needed to meet any crisis.
Humility simply means knowing our place in the universe... that we are no better and no worse than any other human, and not a one of us can gain success in life without the power and grace of our Creator. While this study teaches us to have "control" over our lives, our power extends only to our own actions and will ~ it is God who is in charge of the results.
Lesson seven doesn't involve any writing or list-making. This is an on-going assignment. It is a concept which we must practice on a daily basis. It involves the giving of our attention and concentration on changing what we can... our attitudes and behaviors, living up to the commitments we have made to ourselves in the previous lessons, becoming more aware of our downfalls and working to correct them. Assignment seven is about character-building.
Once you have reached this portion of the study, having diligently worked all preceding assignments to the best of your ability, we go forward with the assurance that more will be revealed to us. We have seen that we have gone through life demanding more than our share of success, security, and romance. Comparing ourselves to those around us, we sometimes came up short and were envious, feeling sorry for ourselves. Other times we felt ourselves superior to our fellows, tearing them down to make ourselves feel better. When we were succeeding, we were impatient, frustrated, greedy for more. When we were seeming to fail, we have blamed others, becoming angry, resentful, and full of self-pity, cursing God, fate, or life in general for our misfortunes. We have taken the credit for our successes, boasting of our talents and intelligence. We have blamed other people, God, or even "the devil" for our failures. Rarely have we given God the recognition for the good things, and even more rarely have we accepted responsibility for our downfalls.
Few seek character-building as a desired objective in life. We figure that's for the saints, preachers, and missionaries. We aim to live up to a certain degree of morality, enough to get along in society. Yet, the thought of making any personal sacrifices in order to better our character is something most don't consider. We're too busy scraping and pushing to get what we think will make us happy, unaware that our own tactics and mis-aligned priorities are responsible for our discontent. While many of us have spent our lives running from pain and problems, something within you has lead you to this course. Be assured.... you did not come here by mistake. And now, through these assignments, we are seeking to honestly and fearlessly face our problems and heartaches of past and present. What you have accomplished to this point in the course is proof that there is a power greater than yourself, willing and eager to guide you and help you be the best person you can be.
With the same trust you have had to come this far, now you can have the faith that God will surely remove from you the very stumbling blocks in your character which have caused you the most problems. We can become aware of our defects and make a conscious effort to honor our commitments, practice self-restraint in times of intense emotion, and discipline ourselves to partake in the daily actions laid out in this course. However, we must realize that such self-centeredness does not go away over night. We need to be patient with ourselves, looking for progress, but not demanding perfection. If we set out to conquer our faults with will power and determination, we are bound to fail, become discouraged, and give up. We mustn't forget now that self-sufficiency has failed us. We have already seen the need for a power greater than ourselves in our lives. We must therefore rely on God to remove our defects and give us the strength we need to continue. The greater your progress, the more aware you will become of your shortcomings. As you diligently work at over-coming your weaknesses, all you will see is yet more glaring faults. Rest assured that this is a true sign of progress! In a later assignment we will learn how to see ourselves objectively, noting both our downfalls and our progress. We will learn to see ourselves more as others see us.
This lesson has been about humility. Being humble enough to rely on God while realizing that such reliance gives us strength and independence that we didn't have before. In a life dependent upon ourselves and other people, we expected more than anyone could produce. When we failed ourselves, we wallowed in self-loathing. When others failed us, we became bitter and resentful. Many of us have lived a life of hiding and pretending, refusing to take responsibility for the content and quality of our lives. Even when we've felt failures were our fault, we wallowed in guilt and self-condemnation. Whether we've believed we were better than others or less than others, still we have made ourselves God in our world of self-reliance. However, a reliance on God gives us the strength, comfort, confidence, and peace we have sought. Relying on God actually makes us more independent than we ever were without Him. God's part we cannot do; our part, He will not do.
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