(My 2017 Lenten discipline - 5 minutes of writing a reflection on daily reading. Unintended - 5 minutes of editing too.;-)
"Man is humbled, and each one is brought low, and the eyes of the haughty are brought low." Isaiah 5:15
Repentance is a hidden blessing of the Lenten season. I need to be 'brought low,' not in a 'woe is me,' or beating up on myself, but by looking hard and carefully at my pride.
"Thank goodness I'm not like that tax collector." How often do I allow a similar thought? Thank goodness I'm not like that person lashing out at the checker. Or those two gossiping at the table behind me. Or the woman in front of me with no teeth. My thoughts, when I acknowledge them, are embarrassing.
Or what about my pride in comparing myself so I will feel more confident? "My cake looks and tastes better. My kids are better behaved. I'm smarter/wiser/more clever." Ugh!! So, so ugly.
Or the greatest pride of all - the disease of 'I'm right.' I know best. Patting myself on the back and looking down my nose at 'the wrong.' Feeling so superior has to be the antithesis of humility.
I need to climb off my high horse and get on my knees. I'm sorry, Lord, for thinking I'm more special than any one of your creations. For exalting myself. My pride is ugly, and I am ashamed.
When I get real and admit my pride, when I acknowledge my ugly thoughts and confess ... grace flows more easily. Humility and repentance uncork grace and allow it begin to flow through me.
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