A few nights ago, as I was dreaming, God showed me a fault in my character, one which I’ve repeated many times. It’s more than a little unsettling when God does this. Very few times in my life has God confronted me with a personal defect that He required me to fix.
First, I’ll give you an example and then confess this sin. I include it here with the hope that you will not fall into the same lie.
An Example
Several years ago, we arrived a bit early before our Sunday Morning church service. The widow of our church’s founding pastor made her way over to chat with my wife and me. Being quite elderly, it took her some time and effort to make her way to us, but she did.
We mutually shared a friendship with another Christian couple that lived out-of-state. She asked about them and then continued our conversation. About that same time, the musicians began to play, signaling that the service was going to start. Still, this stalwart of the Lord continued talking with us.
Next, our pastor, this widow’s son, began the service. Still, this Godly woman continued to talk with us. At this point, we’re the only ones standing, and indeed, the only ones still chatting.Â
I felt the strongest urge to sit down; to stop the conversation. But God was teaching me something, something I didn’t learn at that time. Oh, I continued to stand and chat but I was disengaged because the service was starting. God was using this founding pastor’s wife. God was saying, “Which is more important? To fix the food or to be in communion with our Lord?” (Luke 10:41-42)
Pride Veiled in Politeness
This choice of whether to be in God’s presence or to follow social etiquette has dogged me my whole life. The fact is that sometimes God overrules politeness.
While I was dreaming, God showed me several other specific instances in my life where I chose pride, veiled in politeness, in place of being emotionally uncomfortable but being where Jesus asked of me, talking with whom Jesus wanted me to converse.
The person who chooses wisely is found in Luke 7:38 (NLT), “Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.“
No matter what we are doing, we are to live as servants of God. This is what the Apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:16 ESV) “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.“
[Prayer]Â Dear Heavenly Father, I come before You today to confess my sin of pride veiled within politeness and to pray for anyone else that is struggling between what’s deemed right by society in place of what is best. Release us, I pray. Keep our weaknesses at the forefront of our minds so that we will choose the best decision next time. Thank you, Father God, for Your steadfast love and devotion toward us. I pray in the Name above all names, Jesus, Your only-begotten. Amen.
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
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