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Daily Devotional Nov. 16, 2022

 “For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you”         (Isaiah 41:13, NIV).
 

     I’m not the most graceful of people. Recently, I fell while descending a flight of stairs in public. Nothing was bruised but my ego. Several kind people offered to help me stand up. I refused. Such is the way of pride.

     Isaiah claimed that God extends His hand to offer us help in moments of duress. Many times God’s assistance comes in the form of people. Doctors. Teachers. Mail carriers. God even sends strangers to lend us support.

     Unfortunately, like me, our sense of smug independence prevents us from accepting the aid presented to us. We couch our refusal by convincing ourselves that with God’s help, we can manage on our own. We are like the man drowning in a river to whom God sent a rope, a boat, and a helicopter to rescue him. The man refused citing that he was waiting on God.

     When the man died, he went to heaven. He asked God why God had allowed him to die. I’m pretty sure you know the rest of the story.

     At issue is our stubborn sense of autonomy. We prefer to risk our lives rather than allow our egos to be bruised any more than they have been. Perhaps pride is the reason we believe that God is no longer performing miracles today. As our vanity increases, our capacity for receiving God’s blessings decreases.

     Well, I pray the next time I find myself on the floor, my inflated sense of self won’t keep me from getting a hand up. I pray the same reality may be true for you. Besides, tripping to the floor is a lot less painful than tripping on one’s ego.