Me: You look so small compared to your friend?
Prodigal: Sometimes small is just what you need.
I was home with my Dad. My Dad was sitting in his yellow chair by the t.v. One of the things that he loves to do is watch game shows. He will play along, and try to win the prize with the audience.
Sometimes He is real good at it. Today’s game show was Let’s Make A Deal. Some points of the game are that you get a chance to choose what “Deal” you would like. Several times in the show they will have a choice you have to make. The choice will be hidden. Sometimes it is behind a huge curtain, small evenlope, or a smaller box.
There is a risk in your choice. Because one of them might be a “zonk” which means you win nothing. The key is to stay away from the “zonk”. To win at the game the goal is to pick the option that has a car, vacation, or money.
I like to watch with my Dad because I like to guess along also. I have won so many imaginary games from my seat at home! As you watch the game, it is interesting to observe how people make their choices. Is the small box good, or bad? Is the large curtain good, or bad?
As we watch the show together, we see screams of delight, and other faces crestfallen to despair. It ends up being a great time together.
What would God say about our choices. Is He happy? I think we sometimes view God as saying we always have to take the small package to remain humble. Really God wants us to be humble no matter what the package looks like, or has in it.
This is why some receive fame, money, or leadership positions from God. They have been tested in their choices, in the small quiet private areas of their lives, and they remained humble. God may bless from choices, and decisions that were made.
Others are still trying to figure out pride. We may be humble to receive the gift, but we have to remain humble is the key. Too many times once the choice was made. God may bless a person. The person becomes prideful, forgetting God’s hand in the gift. At time’s, our pride caused it all to go away, because God wants us to remain humble with the choices that are made.
There are horrible testimonies of several pastors that have fallen over the years, because of pride. At one time they followed God, but different choices , and pride led them away from God.
The Lord knows how destructive pride is with our choices. It hurts our relationships with God, and with others. Our relationship with the Lord suffers because pride causes us to be independent from God. Our pride says we did this on our own, and we can keep this on our own. I don’t have to listen to God, or be close to him. Look at what I can do without God. The pride will continue to say our way is better, I know much more, and I deserve to have it my way.
This creates a lack of reverence for the Holiness of God. We refuse to live, and admit how much the Lord knows, gives us, and has a right to ask for obedience from us.
Pride in choices we make will also hurt our relationships with others because we began to be critical of others. We sense in some way we are better than them. We look down on them. We do not value their judgement, thoughts, or feelings. Our relationships start moving toward how they can follow my plans, my thoughts. We do not think how they could contribute to our plans, and our lives. We do not value their experiences, knowledge, or feelings.
When we have pride over others, it will always show up in how we treat them. At some point, the person will see that they have no value in your eyes. You are just a tool to assist them in their pride. The closeness, intimacy will completely break down under theses emotions.
As I was watching the game show Let’s Make a Deal, we can think life is like that. It is not. Right now you are worried about the choices to make. You ask yourself, will this be a “zonk”. The question God wants you to hear is, what will my heart be like with this choice. Can I praise God if I gain everything, or if this choice means I lose everything?
When we lose in our choice, but we can praise God. When we have a humble heart before God, and can say, “You know best because you know me!” Can we ever really make the wrong choice?
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11
Jennifer Van Allen
www.theprodigalpig.com
www.faithincounseling.org