The Pride Cycle

Helaman chapters 6 through 12 chronicles the story of the Lamanites as they become more righteous and the Nephites as they become increasingly wicked. There is corruption and even murder because of the hardening of the hearts of the Nephites, as they become less sensitive to the Spirit and accustomed to sin and selfishness. As the story unfolds, the people go through what can be called a "pride cycle."

This cycle begins with prosperity and happiness. The people are blessed and successful, and tend to "forget the Lord their God" when they don't feel the need for His help (Helaman 11: 36). This complacency leads to pride, as people come to think that they are self-reliant and can provide all that they need for themselves, without the help of God. As humans, we often attribute all going well in our lives to our own merits and actions, forgetting that it is God who blesses us and watches over us. This rejection of God's power and influence makes us less obedient to His commandments, causing people to fall to temptation and sin. Wickedness leads to destruction, sorrow, and eventually, humility and meekness. When we get to the depths of true sorrow and heartache, people often turn back to God for help and guidance. They repent of their wrong-doings and work hard to make amends so that they can be happy again. This righteousness, humility, and obedience brings blessings, which bring prosperity, and the cycle starts all over again.

However, it doesn't have to be that way. Some people are continuously in a cycle of pride, sin, destruction, and sorrow, spiraling deeper and deeper and getting worse and worse. But, on the other end of the spectrum, we can recognize the power of God in our lives and become humble and meek before Him. Instead of pride in our prosperity and success, we can humbly thank God for our blessings and give all credit to Him instead of ourselves. This humility will incline us to repentance for our sins that we do commit, and we will be blessed for our faith and diligence. Instead of spiraling downward to despair, we can climb higher and higher, becoming more righteous and more like Jesus Christ. Of course, we are naturally inclined to pride, but how wonderful would it be if we could overcome that tendency! It is much better to submit our will to that of our Heavenly Father, who knows all and wants us to be happy forever, than to fall to the will of Satan, who only uses us to fulfill his own ends.