“Before a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.” Proverbs 18:12
I was pretty cocky in my teens and early twenties. I came from a dysfunctional background and was determined not to make the same mistakes. I determined nobody was going to tell me how to live. I had it all figured out, and if I didn’t I soon would. I would break the cycle of addiction. I was haughty.
I left home and moved in with my boyfriend to escape my broken home. I swore I wouldn’t become a statistic and get pregnant before marriage. But I did. I hadn’t broken the cycle; I’d plunged in at a different spot. This was a blow to my enormous ego.
That was all before I turned my life over to God. Then I saw His warnings regarding a haughty spirit. The eye-rolling, arrogant, disdain that ripples inside our souls and corrupts our hearts. Anyone who’s had a teenager roll their eyes at them knows about the arrogance.
Attitude with capital letters.
Oh, yeah. That was me. I struggled with false pride. My cockiness resulted in frustration and pain. It destroyed relationships. But, every time I said or did something I shouldn’t, my words and actions came back on me. I know looking back that was God’s way of trying to humble me. I’m ashamed to say how many times I went in circles learning that lesson.
But, God’s patience and goodness finally won the battle for my heart. I found release when I let go of my conceit. My life has changed for the better.
God is always at work in His children’s lives. He teaches us to rely on Him so He can use us to show others His goodness.
Dawn Fordis a Christian, wife, and mother who imagines stories in everything she sees. Her novel, Knee-high Lies, was a semi-finalist in the 2018 Grace Awards, and her fantasy novel, Kingdom Come, won the 2016 ACFW Genesis Award in the Speculative Genre. Dawn has served in her church’s outreach and women’s ministries. She believes in living an authentic Christian life. Find up-to-date information about Dawn at her website: DawnFordAuthor.
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Originally published Saturday, 22 June 2019.
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