Pride-shmide.

I have just stumbled across an extrememly sobering truth today. I'm beginning to make sense of whole male conundrum I've been dealing with as of late. I may have figured out part of the problem... it's as if I've been enlightened by God Himself! I couldn't keep this enlightening experience to myself!

The world has an ego problem. Pride is something that has become so ordinary and so prevalent that sometimes we don't even see it. BUT it's killing us! Pride could very well be the single-most deadly venom - poisoning relationships. The end! Haha... I kid I kid. We have become people that are all about ourselves. WE ask the question, what can he/she do for me? What will I get out of this transaction? What's in it for me? Me, me, me. Do you see it?? It's all around us! What would the world look like if we asked ourselves how we can be a blessing to others? What if we questioned how we could give to another instead of wrestling with what we can get? What about if we just stopped for a moment to think about someone else other than ourself? How about if we honored others above ourselves?? Hmmm... what a novel concept.

Friends... I'm sorry to say it but pride is probably the solitary thing keeping many of us from what we really want in life. It most definitely separates us from God. A devotion I read this morning said something so impactful. It read, "Pride will hold us back from laying down our expectations and rights in order to reach out to those who cross our path. Pride will slowly erode the humble spirit God so wants to see in His people and in their relationships." That is the crux of this englightening experience!! It is PRIDE that keeps us holding onto all those petty expectations that end up destroying relationships. Can't we learn to let things go for the people that come across our path? Why does it always have to be all about us and how we feel and what we're going thru? A good dose of humility would cure many failing marriages, broken family relationships and struggling friendships. I can't stress enough that if we layed some of that prideful baggage down, our load would be a whole lot lighter, the picture would be clearer and we could impact lives in incredible ways!! HOWEVER, if our minds are so cluttered with thoughts of ourselves... how will there ever be room for someone else? How will there even be room for God who should be first above all else??

I can feel my heart being transformed. I've experienced that God's ways are not the world's ways. As written in the devotion today, in God’s economy of life in order to be strong we must choose weakness and in order to be first we must be content with last. This may seem odd to some but, friends, I can't tell you how freeing it is to just allow God to be God of your life. Nope, it's not easy but His love and His peace transcends our understanding. And remember, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6

I am so thankful this truth was revealed to me today. I hope you are too :)