Reflection: The danger of ‘smug’
Smug is a deadly spiritual condition, we learn in Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. The ones most prone to it are the people, like the Pharisee, who have reason to feel proud of their achievements – like the contemporary achievement addict. When you’re smug, it’s too easy to become fixated on how much better you are than other people. The Pharisee, for instance, smugly thanks God that he is nothing like the undeserving tax collector.
Being smug doesn’t only sell other people short. The smug person also risks becoming so full of themselves that there’s no room for anything else – not even the grace of God. Maybe that’s why the tax collector goes home right with God: he was humble enough to realise that he needed God’s help. The irony, of course, is that the Pharisee and achievement addict alike could learn a thing or two from the repentant tax collectors of the world. But they’re often too smug to realise it!
Prayer: Gracious Father, no doubt I have been that Pharisee: full of myself and looking down in judgement on others who fail to measure up. Please forgive my pride and humble me. Help me to see your kindness and mercy rather than rest on my own efforts. Amen.