![\"QuestioningthePearls\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/188\/2017\/01\/QuestioningthePearls.jpg\")
<\/a>For well over a year we\u2019ve been running a second Answering \u2018Preparing To Be A Help Meet\u2019 on Sundays, filled with questions by young ladies trying to get ready for marriage. Since we\u2019ve run through many of the questions on their site it\u2019s time to shift Sundays to something else, like perhaps examining the cornucopia of probably fake emails and questions that Michael and Debi Pearl of No Greater Joy post on their website and the possibly poisonous answers they give.<\/p>\nQuestion and answer here:<\/a><\/p>\n The question:<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a homeschooled 9th grader. I have a question not related to child training. Is it possible to be humble, but confident at the same time? It seems that whenever I try to be humble, I lose all self-confidence and self-esteem and get so depressed\u2026 to the point where I cut [verbally]\u00a0 myself. But then, that\u2019s not very humble, is it? When I\u2019m confident, I\u2019m often prideful, and it shows. If there is any way to be both humble and confident, please let me know how to do it. I\u2019ve prayed and my mom has prayed, but that\u2019s about all.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Michael replies:<\/p>\n There is nothing wrong with doing something well and knowing it\u2014like music, art, sports, etc. Pride would be to use your successes to put others down and make them feel of less worth. It is fine to say, \u201cI am the best violin player in the orchestra,\u201d\u2014if it is well known to be the case; but then you should use your skill and influence to raise the skill level of others and to encourage them. Then, if one of the others should surpass your skill, true humility would acknowledge that you are now second best, and you would rejoice in their abilities while continuing to improve yourself.<\/p>\n Bad-mouthing anyone, either yourself or others, is pride. Lifting everyone up\u2015others first and then yourself\u2015is true humility. But then, the truly humble person usually does not know he is humble, nor does he care. To strive for humility and believe you have reached it is to arrive at pride. To strive for humility and not reach it is to wallow in self-pity and condemnation, which is just another expression of pride.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Pretty hypocritical since later in that same issue of No Greater Joy magazine Michael goes on to bad mouth other pastors and James Dobson in particular, justifying it with the fact that Jesus called out the Pharisees. That\u2019s a pretty big plank in his eye\u2026<\/p>\n Random Questioning<\/a><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Stay in touch! Like No Longer Quivering on Facebook:<\/em><\/p>\n No Longer Quivering<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n If this is your first time visiting NLQ please read our Welcome page<\/a> and our Comment Policy<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n Copyright notice: If you use any content from NLQ, including any of our research or Quoting Quiverfull quotes, please give us credit and a link back to this site. All original content is owned by No Longer Quivering and Patheos.com<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Read our hate mail at Jerks 4 Jesus<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Contact NLQ at SuzanneNLQ@gmail.com<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/a>Last week\u2019s Questioning<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n
\nComments open below<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
NLQ Recommended Reading \u2026<\/strong><\/h1>\n
Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement<\/a> by Kathryn Joyce<\/strong><\/h4>\n
13:24 \u2013 A Story of Faith and Obsession<\/a> by M Dolon Hickmon<\/strong><\/h4>\n