Skip to main content

The I In the Middle

Do you ever have times when you feel like God is working on a particular area in your life?  Occasionally, I have those days or weeks when you see God repeating the same lesson. I just had one of those times recently. I was asked to take hours in another department.  As we were in the process of putting it in the computer, I discovered that I already had a full day in my own department that day.  The manager asked, “Are you sure you want to do the extra shift?” “It will be fine," I said all the while I was thinking to myself I really do not want to do that.  I made all sorts of excuses for why I was not honest enough to say what I thought. I do not want to let them down; I have already promised them I would work; I need the extra money.  However, the ugly truth was that I was proud. I wanted to “save face."  As I was getting ready for work, I was reminded of how much harder my day was going to be because of my own stubbornness and pride.  Pride always has a way of making things harder.  Then I thought of other times when I let The I in pride keep me either from apologizing when I should have apologized or forgiving right away.  I did not want to humble myself and admit that I was wrong.   It always caused more problems and never solved any problems.   Imagine the relationships with others that might be salvaged if we put our pride aside.  The I in pride is also, what keeps us from God.  We are too proud to admit we need God and that his way is better than our way.   People, do not listen to the I of pride.  The way will always be harder than you thought. Yet, humbling one’s self when necessary though it seems hard often proves to be an easier path in the end.  There is always an I in the middle of pride.

Lay Down My Pide

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Live Fearlessly

                                   As I was driving home today, I passed a person walking on the side of the    road.  Since it was cold, and snowy, I thought I should stop and offer the person a ride.  As I drove on by, I was irritated with myself for not stopping.  I could have and should have but I didn't. Why?  I was scared! Maybe that wouldn't bother you, but I'm willing to bet there are things that make you afraid.  It may be snakes or spiders that send the ticker into  overdrive.  Or maybe it's your job and finances that keep you up at night when you should be resting.  Then again perhaps it's relationships that consume your thoughts and energy.  As followers of God, we know that we are told not to be afraid.  Yet we often are afraid despite everything we know.   As I was driving away from a missed opportunity, I began thinking about what it is that makes us afraid.  I honestly am not sure what it is that causes us to be afraid when we should be bold, but I

Tragedy: A Christian Response

I want to start by telling you a story.  We were new parents.  When Our oldest, a son, was about eighteen to twenty months we had another baby, a girl with brown hair and huge eyes.   One day as I went to feed her, my son who may have been two at the time wandered off to another part of the house.  The next thing I heard was a thud.  I grabbed my baby girl and ran to see what happened.  There was my son with a table on top of him.  He had pulled it over on himself and more blood than I had ever seen was running all over.   We put him in the car and dashed for the ER.  It was not a fun trip. He had a skull fracture and many stitches.  Fast forward about fourteen or fifteen years, I’m at a stop light and watch my youngest daughter about ten start across a street on a bike start across a street just as a truck comes around a corner into the path of the bike.  She hit the side of the truck and bounced onto the road.   I grabbed her up and checked her over there were no injuries, but

Just A Word of Praise!!

  On Sunday, after church, we went to a town about thirty minutes away.   On the way we drove through an area where they were working on the road.  It was no big deal.  We had lunch, bought some food for the week, and drove back home.    Later, as we were on our way to church for the evening service, I heard the ominous flapping sound that a tire makes when it’s flat.  Yikes!  I pulled over and while I was debating how I was going to change a tire.  A car coming in the opposite direction drove by and stopped.   As the driver appeared from the vehicle, I recognized him as a neighbor and fellow believer.  He approached the car, and asked if I had an air compressor to inflate the tire.  My answer, “Yes, but I’m not sure how good it is.  I’ve never actually managed to inflate a tire using it. I may not be using it properly.”   I produced it from the trunk of the car and handed it to him.  Within a few minutes, he had it hooked up and running.   As it turned out, I was using it properly,