Pride Goes Before A Fall

Some days I'm a bit like a mule. Well all right, most days. I'm stubborn, prideful, and I tend to believe other people should change their ways before I ever consider changing mine. I think back to high school when I was sure I had met the boy I was supposed to spend forever with. However, I was 15, naive, and quite frankly, just a dumb kid. There's no way I could have possibly known where my life would lead me today. I also think back to my first car. It was a truck actually, a bright, blue, 1963 Chevy with a wood bed and a wrap around windshield. My parents cautioned me that an old truck like that would be difficult to drive, hard to maintain, and wouldn't get me any further than an hour or two distance wise. But again, I thought I knew what was best so I got it. I still have that truck, but sadly it sits in a shed most months on my dad's ranch because I'm not there to drive it. When it came time to choose a college, I had my mind set on Simpson University in Redding, CA. However, my parents had other plans-God's plans- and I ended up at Bethany in the Fall of 2009. Oh to be sure, I fought it and raged, and insisted I hated it there. Bethany was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I have known for a long time that I possess a stubborn pride, but it was not until recently I realized it wasn't something to be proud of. For the entirety of my life I have taken pride in my stubbornness, because I mistook it for strength. I thought if I didn't back down from something, then someone else would have to and that would make me the triumphant victor. Sad to say, I have been the victor many times, but it's never been a satisfying victory. It has always been at the expense of hurting someone else. Sometimes being strong isn't about winning, it's about letting someone else win. It's humbling yourself, before God and before man and asking what you can learn from a situation as opposed to thinking about what you can teach. God places people in our lives, like parents, friends, teachers, even complete strangers, to teach us things. I know these days I certainly listen to my parents more because of the wisdom they have incurred over the ages, and because in the past when I fought their will and tried to blaze my own path, I failed. They say pride goes before a fall, and lately it feels like I've been falling down a lot. I think if I can learn to get rid of the pride, I'll save my hands and knees the pain of falling on them. And it will take time I know, but I'm ready for the change. A life free of pride- now that's living.