"The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, 'Who can bring me down to the ground?' Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down, declares the Lord."
Obadiah 1:3-4

I realize that this passage wasn't written to Americans per se'. But it's easy to see that it could have been. It is an example of what happens when a nation becomes haughty.This nation (America) has become so prideful in our prosperity that in some ways it has become our god. We've felt invincible. In recent times however, our economy has taken a nosedive and reached crisis levels. As a result, our influence globally is at an all time low.The god of money and power are being brought down. It's kind of funny that the eagle and the stars are mentioned here since these are two things associated with America. It's time that we wake up and realize that God is a jealous God and he wants nothing placed before him. That includes our own self sufficiency. Our reliance should always be on him. When we ignore God, we can rest assured he's not happy. We have to stop taking God out of the equation.

The other day my daughter was talking about how she was fearless prior to having her son. She asked if it was like that for me. I had to be honest. I told her I had never really been fearless. It's kind of sad really. But you know, my childhood was so out of whack that I wanted to feel secure. I felt like I was totally out of control with what was happening in my life. That longing for security seemed to carry over into all areas of my life. Here I am all these years later wishing I had taken more risks, that I had been more fearless. I see people all around me doing great things; things I know were far out of their comfort zone. And I have to ask myself, "What have I done?" Oh, I know that some would say I have stepped out of my comfort zone in some ways...I'd have to agree. But was it enough?

I'm always hearing people talk about their bucket lists. Seems to me these are things people want to do before they die, but possibly haven't had the courage to do until some major life event changed them. I don't want something tragic to occur to push me to doing something exciting and adventurous. And I'm not really talking about just going out and having fun. I want to do things that will matter in regards to the kingdom of God. I want my life to matter. I think that this is what we all want. We want to make a difference in this world. We want to touch the hearts and souls of another human being. We want to make an impact that will be remembered long after we're gone. So we have to ask ourselves what it is that is important in the eyes of God. Those are the things that will count for eternity. And they will require us to step out on the wire. But just remember, we're not without a safety net. God is there to catch us should we fall.

Over the last several months I have felt a change is coming. Being that I am not one who likes change (though I know it is often necessary), I have sought out the familiar and the comfortable in some last ditch effortt to control what's happening. There's an old saying, "you can never go back," and over the years I have found this to be true. No matter how much I may want things to be like they once were, it's just not going to happen. It's kind of like being adrift at sea, hanging onto a life preserver for dear life and wishing that someone would rescue you or that you'd make it to shore safe and sound. No matter how hard you try to steer your course, the wind and waves seem to overpower you and take you wherever they see fit. And you can only hold on for dear life, praying for God to help you make it out alive.

I realize that God is in control of my situation. He knows my every need. And even though I may try to paddle against the current at times, ultimately, he will direct my path. He is in control. So why do I make it so hard? Why do I stress about it? Why can't I just lay it at his feet and leave it there? I need peace, and that only comes when I allow him to guide me without resistance. I know this. I have experienced this.

Years ago I had this friend who was going through some pretty difficult stuff. In the midst of it he remained as he always had been. He didn't seem stressed or strained by it. He didn't moan and complain. If you didn't know what he was going through, you wouldn't have known anything was wrong. That's how I want to be. It shows a total and complete trust in God.

My prayer today is that God would help me to trust him completely, and that in the process of waiting I would find peace in him.

One day I was watching Family Feud and as each contestant stood waiting, hands on their buzzers, the host began to ask the question. Before he got the question out completely one of the contestants slammed their hand onto their button and spewed out some answer. As you can guess, it wasn't one of the top answers on the board. The host then turned to the other contestant and read the question in its entirity. After doing so it was quite clear that the first contestant would have been wise to wait and hear the question in order to understand what was being asked. I thought about this verse in Proverbs 18:13

"He who answers before listening-that is his folly and his shame."

Now, I'm not saying that incident on a game show brought shame to the contestant, but I am guessing it probably brought some degree of embarrassment. It wasn't a wise move to answer without knowing the entire question. This scenario also reminded me of politicians. Often times they are asked random questions and they may give some rash answer without much thought to it. They make promises that realistically they will probably never be able to keep. Had they done more extensive research on the topic they might have known better than to make such promises. But in their attempt to win voters they will say just about anything to please them.

Sometimes (in hindsight usually) it would be easy to see why James 1:19 would tell us to "be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry." It's foolishness to answer without first listening intently. We need to hear what others have to say (not just with our ears, but with our hearts). Have an open mind and a willingness to admit if you are wrong. A person who answers hastily can easily end up being angered when they are humiliated by their own stupidity. I realize that is not necessarily the anger James is specifically referring to, but it is true all the same. Think about it. Have you ever done or said something foolish and then got angry when someone proved you wrong? So who were you really angry at? The one who showed you truth or yourself?

I guess the point I am really trying to make here is to think before you speak. Know what it is you are responding to when someone asks you questions.  If you don't know the answer don't be too proud to say, "I don't know the answer; I'll have to get back to you on that." Pride goes before a fall. A person who walks in humility is quite refreshing and far more respected than the one who speaks arrogantly.