My God is stronger than pride.

As a mom I am learning so much about my role as a child, not necessarily with mom and dad, but more along the lines of a child of God and His role as my Heavenly Father.

Just this afternoon as Olivia was practicing her violin, I was in her room with her trying to guide her. I would say teach her, but she passed my violin skills up a long time ago-- like after she mastered, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Instead I help her to fix missed notes and rhythms and such, help her break her pieces into small sections to memorize, and guide her that way and encourage her to practice.

Anyhow, she was playing Allegretto from Suzuki book 1 along with the CD and was correct on the rhythm, but the notes were way wrong. I tried to suggest some options for her to work on this like get out the music, turn down the CD, sing the correct notes and tune... She was having none of my help and yelled at me that this is the way she always did it and that she was going to do it her way. So I got angry after failed attempt and failed attempt to guide her and I left the room leaving her to her own devices. A few minutes later she was starting the disc over and over and over screaming as she tried to get it right and I MEAN SCREAMING!!! She was so mad and she kept yelling at me to help. No, more like demanding me to help her. I just told her that I was not going to help her anymore this time since she was disrespectful to me.

All this makes me think of how when I ask God for help and He gives me help in various and even numerous ways, often I just ignore His help and think that my way is better. I ask Him and then refuse His wisdom. I am so caught up in the way I normally do things that deviating from it to do it a better way is not an option. Then when God leaves me to my own devices in order to teach me a lesson I get mad and demand His help. Then get even madder because He is refusing to help me. Psalm 81:12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.

If you search for "stubborn" at Bible Gateway it is truly humbling in how God's people were rebuked so often for their stubborn pride. They were offered all they ever needed and were so often left to their own devices as a lesson to break their stubborn pride. I can look back at them and see the stiffness in their attitudes; I can look at my children and see the same thing. I think God wants me to look in the mirror and see that I have the same tendencies. Isn't it true that old adage, "Pride comes before the fall"? Do you know that it is older than adages or sayings or clichés... it is from the Bible. Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. It is actually the cause of The Fall of man from God's grace and the entire reason we need God's mercy, Christ's sacrifice and atonement and the Holy Spirit's counsel. Pride is the most destructive of sins and the most common. I wouldn't hesitate to think that all sin is in some way related to pride.

How has pride affected me? Well, it has caused me much unnecessary heartache in so many departments. It has brought chasms in relationships, it has placed stumbling blocks in front of others in their walk, it has compromised my integrity, it has caused me undue stress and anxiety, and it has made a fool of me... I think the list could go on for chapters of how pride has caused me to fall.

You know what is the amazing part in all of this? God is always there to help me up when I fall- When I am compromised, He restores me; when I am causing someone to stumble, He pick up the block and restores the path; when I am overly stressed, He sees me through it-- no matter the outcome, I come out! In my foolish heart He has restored His wisdom by placing in me His Holy Spirit. My God is stronger than pride.