Avoid Getting a “Big Head”

Transcript

Most of us like to be complimented: it can feel great to have people say nice things about us, and we get a “charge” out of having our egos pumped up. But St. John Climacus warns us to avoid the trap of flattery:

The flatterer is a servant of devils, a guide to pride, a destroyer of contrition, a ruiner of virtues, a misleader. Those who pronounce you blessed, lead you astray, says the prophet (Isaiah 3:12).

This doesn’t mean, of course, that everyone who compliments us is serving Satan, but it does remind us to avoid getting a “big head” about ourselves.