The Surprising Connection Between Worry and Pride

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Do you ever struggle with worry?

I think many of us get into the world of personal productivity because we are stressed out and looking for ways to cope with the mountain of responsibilities we have. I know that was the case for me.

I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity to teach at my church several times this summer. And last Sunday I delivered a sermon on 1 Peter 5 that dealt with humility and trusting the Lord in times of trouble (you can listen to it here if you’re interested).

Part of the passage we studied contains this familiar verse:

“casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” – 1 Peter 5:7

But one of the most interesting things that came up in my study of that verse in context was a surprising connection between worry and pride.

Now, I’m not saying that all worry is necessarily rooted in pride, but as I examine myself and some of the familiar worries I deal with (money and relationships mostly), I do see that often pride is somewhere in the mix. And maybe that’s the case for you too.

I made this video talking more about it:

The Surprising Connection Between Worry and Pride​ (6:04)


👍 Something I Like

My friend Mike Moses gave me a copy of Rod Dreher’s book Live Not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents a while back and I finally got around to reading it. And let me just say…

Wow.

In it, Dreher maps out the signs of a creeping “soft totalitarianism” that is infecting the West. He does this by recounting stories from people who saw it happen in the former Soviet bloc. And he offers wisdom for how Christians should respond to these looming threats.

I could try to shoehorn a productivity angle into this, but I’ll save you from that 😂. It’s just a good book and a real eye-opener. Check out Live Not by Lies by Rod Dreher.


🧑‍💻Happening on the Web

No Family Is Too Busy for Church (8 mins)

Oof! This is a good one. Convicting.

“How many families allow the storms of anxiety and busyness to consume our pursuit of the kingdom? How many churches lose families to the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things — to the subtle thorns of temptation?”

(Marshall Segal / Desiring God)

The science of eureka moments (7 mins)

Have you ever noticed that often the breakthrough to some problem you’ve been ruminating on comes not when you’re focused on it but when you’re mind is wandering in the shower or on a walk? Here’s why.

“Eureka moments can lead to creative discoveries, the triumphant completion of a project, or the sudden, clear insight into how to make your business succeed. Let’s have a look at the scientific foundation of eureka moments, as well as the steps you can take to increase your chance of having more eureka moments at work.”

(Dr. Hannah England / Ness Labs)

Distracting Ourselves to Death (3 mins)

Some good food for thought in this one. Many of us seem to be unthinkingly drawn to obsessively checking our devices, but what exactly are we looking for?

“We all tend to do this. Whether we search on our phones, in our careers, or in our family life, we seem to be looking for something. It is as if an eternal ache has been implanted in our hearts. In all my scrolling and searching I tend to forget that on the nightstand, where I picked up my phone first thing in the morning, sits a leather-bound book. It is the very word of God.”

(Doug Eaton / Fight of Faith)

18 Leadership Principles from History (13 mins)

This is a great list of leadership principles with examples.

“No one comes out of the womb a leader. And yet we’re all leaders in one way or another—of families, of companies, of a team, of an audience, of a group of friends, of ourselves. So there’s no one who wouldn’t benefit from learning some of the essential lessons on the art of leadership from some of history’s greatest leaders.”

(Ryan Holiday)

Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg on Creating the Metaverse (33 mins)

This is a long read, but worth it.

I think it’s so interesting that the leaders of some of the biggest companies on earth are also devout futurists. Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos want to take humanity to Mars, and apparently, Mark Zuckerberg wants to bring us into a virtual reality “metaverse.” In this interview, you can read Zuck explain whatever that means in his own words.

It all sounds like sci-fi, but sooner or later it will be reality. There are so many implications for the future of society and for Christians and the church. This next decade will require believers to exercise all new levels of discernment with regard to technology. Are we ready?

(Casey Newton / The Verge)


✍️Quote of the Week

"Your results in life are simply a lagging measure of your habits." – James Clear

Follow @redeemingprod on Instagram for more.


⌛️That’s All for this Week

Thanks for reading!

If you want to help me create more resources on productivity from a Christian worldview, consider supporting Redeeming Productivity.

And as always, you can just hit reply to send me a message.

See you next week!

– Reagan

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