Mud

It's amazing how being a parent has lead me into many new revelations about our Heavenly Father.

This morning, my son decided the best way to settle an argument with his little sister was to put her in a choke-hold. Obviously, he's got a lot to learn when it comes to conflict resolution. Of course, he was immediately sent to his room while his sister "milked" the situation for all the sympathy she could get. (Yeah, she may be little, but she's no dummy!)

After a few minutes had passed, I called my son downstairs to have the "now, tell me what you did wrong" talk. His still had an angry countenance, and he was unwilling to admit his wrongdoing. He balked when I told him he needed to talk to God and tell Him he was sorry for what he had done, as well as apologize to his sister. As I left him sitting on the family room floor, I felt a deep sadness and a bit of righteous indignation because for a moment, I saw in my child the bitterness of pride and arrogance. Then I couldn't help but wonder, "Is this just a glimpse of what my Heavenly Father sees in me when I refuse to confess my sin?" He is righteous, pure and holy, and my arrogance and pride must be even more offensive to Him.

It's no wonder that Solomon, in Proverbs 6, lists "haughty eyes"as one of seven things God hates. Not only does pride lead us into sin, it also prevents us from reconciling ourselves to God and others. When we're arrogant and proud, we're like pigs who are drawn to the mud and wallow in the slop, refusing to get clean.

Well, after wrestling with his pride for a few minutes, I could hear my son crying and talking to God about what he had done when he hurt his sister. I didn't ask him what he said when he prayed, but I could see his attitude had changed. He decided to crawl out of the mud pit and settle it with God. I know it was painful for him, but it's all a part of the process we need to go through to experience God's forgiveness and grace and understand that we need a Savior. He's still young and trying to understand it all, but he's on his way.

¹⁶ he may speak in their ears
and terrify them with warnings,

¹⁷ to turn man from wrongdoing
and keep him from pride,

¹⁸ to preserve his soul from the pit,
his life from perishing by the sword.

Job 33:16-18