YIELDING

Some people use their pride as a shield. Which is not always a bad thing. But there is a lot to be learn at times from accepting when we have areas of our life in need of improvement. Those that say things like “I don’t make mistakes” often risk missing out on such gems.

One of the problems with the life of faith is when God needs to make us face some problem in our lives that we can improve. So he will lead us into a crisis or situation to get our attention. If we yield to that leading we can come away with a gem or two of understanding and maybe even growth in the process. On some occasions it will even me the blessing of victory in the long run over a given problem.

But none of that happens when we are so full of pride and ego we can’t accept that kind of leading. We resist and as a result miss out on the treasure intended.

As a writer I participate at this one writer’s web site where one as a chance to showcase their talent in contests. Sometimes I win, sometimes I don’t. But along the way I do get the times when somebody will point out a place my effort needs work. And in some cases the person is honestly not that great a writer. However that doesn’t mean their point has no merit. So I have learned to listen and not let my pride keep me from trying to see the good in the comment.

Perhaps the greatest risk to any growth is when we think we know it all. If we have success we start having too much confidence in our own abilities. And if god blesses us as we trust him it can also end with us thinking we are mature and don’t have anything else to learn.

In such situations God can find a way to humble us for our own good. That doesn’t mean everyone responds as he wishes to such efforts. I’ve know some who in their failings spent the time pointing the finger at others instead of accepting their own shortcomings. They never learn the lesson. They never come to a point of yielding.

Not yielding in such situations merely ends up driving one farther away from God. It is sad because in the end instead of moving ahead in one’s relationship with the Lord one ends up slipping into the shadows of delusion.

God won’t keep us from such choices. And in time he will if we learn in such situations grant us the mercy of starting over. But it is always so much easier when we yield, accept the lumps of our mistakes and allow God to help us move on.

That is the joy that come after the tears. Outsiders may not even understand it at the time. But the heart will be the inner witness where God will strengthen for the journey. To that end we can rejoice if we have yielded and said yes when he calls us to sacrifice our pride for the sake of growth. That is one sacrifice you won’t hear about too often from pulpits. Perhaps it should be otherwise. However that itself is a form of yielding and I’m not sure some shepherds want to hear about it, let alone preach it.