This morning as I was thinking through the service again, the Holy Spirit smoked me. Not just a gentle wrist slap; it was more of a full-on slap across the face (could have inspired a song like this). In the quiet of the morning, God clearly said to me, "The issue is not who was right. You do not have to always be right." (I hate it when God says things that my wife has already told me before.) He continued, "The issue is not being right; the issue is your pride. Your pride will not allow you to be wrong." (Now you see where the bright red marks across my face were there.)
As I sat and thought, I immediately thought of some of the verses from the Bible that speaks to the issue of pride:
"Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall." (Prov. 16:18)
"Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." (Prov. 11:2)
"Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor." (Prov 29:23)
So many of the nations that the prophets of the Old Testament speak out against are condemned for their pride. And I am no better. My pride can drive me to make decisions that glorify myself, my thinking, my knowledge or skill set...and it's not about me. I wasn't there when the earth was set on its axis. I was not there when the sun burst forth into light. I was not in the beginning. I was not before the beginning. I am not God.
So I confess and ask for forgiveness to God, to Lindy, to John. It's not about me and my desire to be right or proved correct. I should have not thrown you under the bus in an unintentional attempt to preserve my pride. And now the really hard part: making this a lifestyle change and not just a blog post.
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