Whac-A-Mole: Humanism — Tuesday
Daniel 4:37
“Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.” (NIV)
"Be careful!" my mom called out to me. Shortly before my 7th birthday, I learned how to ride my bike without training wheels. I was so proud of my accomplishment and spent most of that summer cruising around my neighborhood on my hot pink "big girl bike." Despite my many promises to my parents that I would ride my bike with caution, I promptly broke those promises and took lots of risks, jumping off of curbs and riding down the hill at breakneck speed. I was so confident in my abilities that one day, I decided to attempt my riskiest trick yet. Our cul-de-sac had a huge sidewalk gutter where the neighbor kids’ runaway basketballs liked to collect, and I had the brilliant idea to try and ride over these basketballs and then glide back onto the asphalt.
In a blaze of glory, I took off and began to ride over the basketballs, fully confident that my plans (and my bike skills) were foolproof. I was wrong. I fell off my bike, and after a trip to the ER, my bike riding days were over for a few weeks as I nursed my broken arm. When I finally got my cast off, I was probably the safest bike rider of any 6-year-old in the nation.
We can often get caught up in the rush of making decisions. So much so that, like 6-year-old me, we ignore wise voices around us that caution us in our actions, and rush into things headfirst—believing that our authority is the only authority. Pride becomes a stumbling block. God is gracious and allows us to experience very humbling (albeit sometimes embarrassing) situations that point us back to Him and His authority.
Tuesday’s Reflection
Are there any areas of your life where you are letting pride get in the way? Ask God to lead you to a posture of open-handedness and humility.