Joseph had experience with dreams. His own vivid dreams, which were easy to interpret, angered his brothers and resulted in him becoming a slave and then a prisoner. But his facility with dreams also got him out of prison and made him the second most powerful man in Egypt.
Joseph’s gift of dream-interpretation was unusual, but he didn’t let it go to his head. When two of his fellow prisoners confided that they had experienced dreams which they could not understand, Joseph asked, “Do not interpretations belong to God?” (Genesis 40:8). Later, when Pharaoh summoned Joseph to interpret two of his own dreams, Joseph responded, “It is not in me: God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace” (Genesis 41:16).
This is similar to Ammon’s response when King Lamoni, astonished at a miracle he had performed, asked, “Art thou sent from God?” (Alma 18:33). Ammon replied:
I am a man; and man in the beginning was created after the image of God, and I am called by his Holy Spirit to teach these things unto this people, that they may be brought to a knowledge of that which is just and true;
And a portion of that Spirit dwelleth in me, which giveth me knowledge, and also power according to my faith and desires which are in God.
Alma 18:34-35
Human beings are incredibly susceptible to hubris. We accomplish something small, and we imagine that we can do anything. We build something impressive, and we claim credit, forgetting the contribution of others and of God.
So it’s impressive to see these two servants of God deliberately deflecting credit for the miracles God wrought through them. Their careful replies not only taught their listeners about the source of spiritual power, but they simultaneously reminded themselves not to claim credit for something that was not theirs.
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf received similar counsel from another church leader:
When I was called as a General Authority, I was blessed to be tutored by many of the senior Brethren in the Church. One day I had the opportunity to drive President James E. Faust to a stake conference. During the hours we spent in the car, President Faust took the time to teach me some important principles about my assignment. He explained also how gracious the members of the Church are, especially to General Authorities. He said, “They will treat you very kindly. They will say nice things about you.” He laughed a little and then said, “Dieter, be thankful for this. But don’t you ever inhale it.”
That is a good lesson for us all, … in any calling or life situation. We can be grateful for our health, wealth, possessions, or positions, but when we begin to inhale it—when we become obsessed with our status; when we focus on our own importance, power, or reputation; when we dwell upon our public image and believe our own press clippings—that’s when the trouble begins; that’s when pride begins to corrupt.
“Pride and the Priesthood,” October 2010 general conference
Today, I will give credit where credit is due. I will be grateful for the gifts I have received from God, and I will remind myself and others that He is the source of those gifts.
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