Beech Tree News Network

“Her real name is Mary Margaret McBride”, I said. Bett and I were watching an old movie.
“No, that wasn’t her name,” Bett said.
“Yes,” I was sure I was right. Turned out I was wrong. I was not pleased I was wrong. My ego wanted to be right. Then I remembered one of the things God said he hated the most was “a haughty spirit.” (Prov. 16:18). Whoa – hold up. I sure don’t want God hating anything about me. Besides it helps me to be wrong at times. Ego is a trait of the “natural man”. After some thought I’m glad I was wrong. Puts me in my place. Besides folks don’t like a right-all-the-time blow hard. Old folks would say, “too big for your britches”
one of the greatest treatise on love is found in I Corinthians 13:4. It tells us that love is “never haughty, or selfish or rude – it does not demand it’s own way.”
wanting to be right is clearly an indention of preoccupation with self. The word ego comes from the Latin meaning “I”, or any form of the word. But only when it’s used to best someone has it gone awry. My daddy had a cousin whose favorite expression was, “I know better.” His siblings were not like that, they were better liked.
Once, writer, Eric Haffer, had the opportunity to spend nine hours with some “really important people” – Sir Andrew Cohen, one time gov. of Uganda, and later British representative to the United Nations, also.
“here I was, a blue-collared dock worker. Them highly-intelligent people had much to teach me about Africa, Britain, and Persia, instead I talked too much and made a jackass out of myself- I ought to have asked questions, instead I talked carelessly. Spinoza  was right when he said that every time we open our mouths it is because of vanity.”
In his book, The Quest of the Overself, Paul Brunton mentions, “Personal ego presumes upon it’s own competence to deal with all difficulties.”
A strong ego does not always allow us to “pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps.”
Let go, and let God.
Her correct real name was Rosemary De Camp.
Kindest Regards.