"God is opposed to the proud,
but gives grace to the humble."
James 4: 6 b
The dollar store blue eye shadow lacked the intensity I needed. Scrounging through my closet, I found some "no-telling how old" indigo shadow. Praying it wouldn't cause an infection, I swiped it on. Heavily applied blush, eyeliner, and mascara followed. It took an hour to get my makeup on.
After spraying my hair with lots and lots of Aqua Net and gluing on the bright red press-on nails, I donned my Ebay vintage black dress and leggings. I slipped on gaudy costume rings. It was Saturday night, and I had an 80's themed birthday party to attend.
We listened to 80's tunes, and talked about the movies we loved. We feasted on a fabulous salad and created custom-made individual pizzas. We ooohed and aaahed as the birthday girl opened her gifts. And I won the costume prize...a Charming Charlie gift card. It was a nice evening.
Back at home, I couldn't wait to shed my outfit, scrub the layers of make-up off my face, and get rid of the fire engine red nails. After immersing my finger tips in polish remover, with not-so-great results, my husband suggested WD-40. That didn't work either. Returning to the polish remover, the tips finally dissolved, but then I worked and worked to pry off the glued-on part. It was getting later and later. Finally... I went to sleep.
Sunday morning, I woke up weary. I looked at my hands. One lone press-on nail remnant remained. One. There was no way I was going to go to church looking like this. What would people think?
Pride is something God opposes and detests (James 4: 6; Prov. 16: 5). He used a little fake fingernail to show me my pride. It was a valuable life lesson.
I don't want God to oppose me. I pray the Holy Spirit will show us our pride so that we can acknowledge and turn away from it, and live humbly. For the humble, there is grace, wisdom, and honor.
Lord God, I admit I struggle with pride. Help me to overcome pride and walk in humility. Give me a heart like Jesus. In His name, amen.
I don't want God to oppose me. I pray the Holy Spirit will show us our pride so that we can acknowledge and turn away from it, and live humbly. For the humble, there is grace, wisdom, and honor.
Lord God, I admit I struggle with pride. Help me to overcome pride and walk in humility. Give me a heart like Jesus. In His name, amen.
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