Have You Been on an Ego Trip Lately?

The dictionary defines the word, ego as "the mind; the conscious self; one's self image; conceit." The word itself comes from the Latin word for I. When we refer to someone with a big ego ... we are indicating that the person has a "big head," is "full of himself,"or is "stuck up." In other words, to have a big ego is to be full of pride.

But what do I mean by using the phrase "ego trip?" Am I referring to the hip hop magazine of the 1990's by that name? Or the 1984 album by Kurtis Blow (again by that name)? Not at all. The term "ego trip" has to do with the actions an individual takes to draw attention to himself in order to inflate his sense of importance.

In the recent wake of the heroics of the U.S. SEAL team's successful mission against Osama bin Laden, many men have been on ego trips. They have claimed falsely to have served in the U.S. Navy as a member of the SEALs. But this is nothing new. Steve Waterman is a retired Navy diver (what an appropriate last name for a diver, "Waterman!"). He has exposed many a false Seal over the years. According to Waterman, ""There were about 500 SEALs that operated in Vietnam, and I've met all 20,000 of them." 

Among the most recent crop of these phony SEALs is a Harrisburg, PA area pastor. After he was quoted in the Harrisburg Patriot-News as having served in the SEALs, He was called out by Don Shipley, a retired SEAL from Virginia, who is one of a few SEAL's that has been entrusted with a database of all those who have served as a SEAL. When confronted by Shipley, the pastor admitted that he had lied. Why did he lie? In his own words, "It's an ego-builder, and it's just simply wrong."

Now before we go throwing stones at this pastor .... let's make sure that we heed the Word of God on this issue: "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment" (Romans 12:3). All of us like to take trips. But let's strive to avoid the constant temptation to take an "ego trip!"

Thanks for stopping by . . .

pj