Pruning the Pride

Pruning the Pride

 

            As I was clearing out my bedroom several weeks ago, I came across a prayer journal I had received for my birthday once.  I had been eight-years-old at the time.  On my cleaning rampage, I tucked the book away in my bookcase to later weed through with all of my other children’s books.

            Shortly thereafter though, I was getting ready for bed one night when I remembered the journal and had a sudden whim to flip through it, despite the fact that it was already after midnight.  So I sat down on my bedroom floor, pulled out the book, and began reading the notes on its pages.  The misspelled words and crooked cursive writing made me smile and the innocence of my childhood prayers warmed my heart, but there were times when I was actually surprised by the spiritual depth that crossed my young mind and found that some of the same struggles I experienced at eight-years-old, I still dealt with ten years later.

            For instance, one page was talking about telling God ways that He could help me feel close to Him.  The book provided prompters to get me started and then I was supposed to finish by writing in the space provided.  Here’s what I read on one page, my part of the prayer being enclosed in parenthesis for you: When I’m confused, help me: “to make the right disishon. (decision)”  Here are some other ways: “anser my weshons soon. (answer my questions soon)”  Fortunately, my spelling has improved, but oh, how many times recently have I asked the Lord to help me make the right decisions!  Could God have instilled this prayer in me to begin preparing me even then for all that would come into my path later?  And how many times have I yearned to know the “why’s” and “how’s” and to have God answer all of my questions when I want Him to.  Impatient even back then.

            But I also encountered another prayer that struck me.  I had prayed at eight-years-old that God would help me overcome my pride.  Even at that young age, I had already come to recognize a very major flaw of mine.  Pride.

            Unfortunately, to this day, pride is still a fault I struggle with.  To be honest, no matter how many lessons the Lord teaches me on humility and no matter how many times He humbles me, I always feel like I need more lessons on it.  For the longest time, I used to pray, “Lord, please make me humble… but please don’t let it be through anything too embarrassing.”  Now after surrendering myself entirely to Him, I’ve grown to pray, “Lord, please make me humble… no matter how You have to do it,” and it’s a prayer that is quite frequently on my lips and in my heart.  Why?  Because “when pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” (Pr 11:2)

            In His Word, God makes His feelings about pride pretty clear.  Look it up in your concordance sometime.  Here’re just a handful of the verses: “The Lord detests all the proud of heart.  Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.” (Pr 16:5)  “Live in harmony with one another.  Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.  Do not be conceited.” (Ro 12:16)  “To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I (God) hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.” (Pr 8:13)  “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Pr 16:18)

            In contrast though, He has a lot to say about humility as well: “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.” (Ps 25:9)  “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.” (Jas 4:10)  “He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble.” (Pr 3:34)  “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” (1Pe 5:6)  “Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 18:4)  “For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Mt 23:12)  “The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.” (Pr 15:33)

From the above sample of verses, I think you get the point.  Pretty clear-cut black and white stuff here.  The Lord hates pride, and proud people will reap the punishment for what they sow, but God loves a humble heart.  Humility comes with elevation in due time for a self-effacing person and it comes with some good promises.  However, that in and of itself can be a potential trap if we aren’t careful in our desire for humility.  Our motives for wanting humility need to be pure and not marred by a desire for the promises that come with humility.  “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” (Php 2:3)  The Lord looks at the heart and sees the motives and intentions of man.  The motivate is what distinguishes genuine humility from false, hypocritical humility.

            We all have struggles.  Not all of us are confronted with our pride, but we all have something we struggle with.  And sometimes when areas stand as a stumbling block for us, the Lord will call us to remove those things from our lives.  For me, this is to prune back my pride.  “If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away.  It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.  It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.” (Mt 5:29)  Clearly then, God calls us to cut off the areas of our lives that are stumbling blocks for us… and sometimes literally, as in my case.

            If you know me in person outside of being the author of this blog, you know that I have really long hair.  I always have.  In fact, the most I’ve ever had cut off my hair at one time is six inches.  My long hair has become somewhat of a trademark of mine, and I have fun with all the different ways I can wear it.  Curly or straight, up or down, ponytail or bun…  I love my long hair… too much.  Odd as it may sound, one of the stumbling block areas in my life is my hair.  I’ve grown to love it too much and to take too much pride in it.  First Corinthians eleven, verse fifteen says that “if a woman has long hair, it is her glory,” and for me, that’s very true.

            As I said, I pray often that the Lord will make me more humble no matter how He has to go about it.  Well, one day, a few months ago, He brought to my mind the idea that maybe I should cut my hair and donate it.  The idea didn’t last though and I soon forgot about it.  And then a few weeks ago, He brought it back up.  For several weeks I wrestled with the idea, until finally, I could fight it no more.  I knew what He wanted me to do and why He wanted me to do it, so I finally conceded to His will.  Very soon, my long hair will be no more.

            At first I dreaded the inevitable haircut, uncertain of what to expect my hair to look like afterwards.  To donate it, I’ll need to cut off at least ten inches, so even with my long hair, my new haircut will be relatively short.  What will I look like with short hair?  How will I manage it if it comes out as a fluffy bob?  Will it make me look any less pretty?  I remind myself of First Peter three, verse four: “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes.  Instead it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.”  But still I procrastinated as I always try to do, until, as always, I’ve finally reached the point where His will is weighing so much upon my mind I have to fulfill it… and the sooner the better to relieve my mind.  “Just do it and get it done with,” I tell myself, even if I end up crying afterwards like Jo in Little Women.  But I still hope it’ll grow back fast in time for the holiday season of visiting family. 

            In reality, although I’m anxious to just get it over with before I lose my nerve, I’m also a little excited about the opportunity, not of cutting my hair, but of being able to donate it to either Wigs For Kids or Locks of Love.  The Lord has been teaching me to use what He has blessed me with to bless others, whether it be dropping the ten dollars I had in my wallet into the offering bag for missions, using my gift of words to encourage others, or using my good health, my time, and my energy to serve.  And since the Lord has blessed me with a whole headful of long, full, healthy hair… well, there you have it.  I’m focusing not on what I’ll be losing- my long hair- but of what I’ll be gaining.  And exchanging my pride for an opportunity to bless others is something I genuinely look forward to and am eager to accept.  The Lord truly does change hearts from the inside out, doesn’t He?

            So I encourage you today to follow the Lord’s lead as He calls you to cut off areas of your life that stand as stumbling blocks in your walk with Him and that maybe keep you from fulfilling and doing all that He wants you to do.  Maybe it’s an area of pride, such as mine was, or maybe it’s something else.  Only you and God know that.  But it’s time for some pruning, some letting go, and some learning growth.  New life will come where the old has been cut.

 

“Now I… 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.” Daniel 4:37

 

 Photo courtesy: www.123rf.com
 

~We’ve all heard of the phrase “pulling on her/ his heartstrings,” but heart-chords?  I was struggling to decide what to name my blog.  I wanted it to be a name that was both creative and meaningful.  As I pondered, my gaze fell upon my acoustic guitar where it stands in my bedroom, and the Lord reminded me that our hearts- our lives- are instruments.  They are constantly in song, but what melody our heart plays is each of our own decisions.  They can play a melody for praise or for entertainment.  A musician selects his songs according to his audience.  So do we.  Whether our audience is the world or the Lord, our song will be different.  This blog is designed to first, increase my awareness in finding God and His guidance in my every day and second, to share the music lessons He teaches me in tuning my heart to learn the chords of praise He longs to play on my heart-instrument.  Music is a powerful tool.  Use it for His glory.  “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.  Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:3