For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
-Romans 12:3

In a wonderful new book by David Brooks called The Social Animal, David Brooks observes that research on people has revealed that most of us are mildly delusional status inflators.We wonder about the problem with the other guy and not so much about ourselves.We wonder why others are such bad drivers even as we drive while talking on our cellphone. Do not think of yourself more highly that you ought to think, Paul writes.

Paul's words here are appropriate. If we don't have a proper self-assessment, we can't be a worthy contributor to the body of Christ. And, we certainly cannot contribute to those who live around us in a meaningful and helpful way. I use myself as an example. I don't know how often I have said to myself when someone else's cellphone rings in worship or at some other public event why they didn't silence it at the beginning.Yet a few months ago I was praying at a Church Council meeting and my own cellphone went off in the middle of my prayer. It was a good lesson in humility. Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought to think.

How many times have we been locked in the throes of verbal battle with our spouse, child, or parent believing that the problem lies with them and not ourselves? We believe if our spouse, child, parent, co-worker, etc. would simply be more of this or of that everything would be fine. Paul is trying to help us with our mildly delusional status inflators, and he does so with grace and love.

Mildly delusional status inflators who ignore the importance of humility can too easily become the radical who listens to no one. They can become the person who believes the problem is not theirs, but the other person's. We must have a proper self-regard, but be cautious not to suffer from delusional status inflation.

Prayer,
Almighty God whose love reaches out to me on this day, grant me the strength of self-regard that will enable me to regard others as your children. Forgive me when I suffer from delusional status inflation and in so doing fail to listen to those who may have something to teach me about life and faith. In the name of Christ. Amen.

C. Mac Hamon, Senior Pastor
Castleton United Methodist Church
Indianapolis, Indiana