Gift bag selection was sadly lacking among bare shelves, but there was no time to visit another store. We were on our way to a 3 year old boy’s birthday party, seeking a last minute wrapping for the gift. The 3 foot long rocket launcher could fit into the giant bag comfortably, or I could cram it into the smaller bag and look less conspicuous. I wondered what the other moms would think if I would bring his gift in an enormous bag. ‘Look who’s trying too hard!’ I imagined them thinking. ‘Ooooh! Look who thinks her gift is the best!’ I thought hard about how I could cram that awkward gift into a smaller bag. It would be a better use of space anyway, wouldn’t it? But then I remembered Proverbs 29:25 “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord will be kept safe”. Not only does it not matter what others think, but if I give power to those opinions, it can keep me from obedience, hearing God, having peace, or even enjoying life. I decided that it didn’t matter what other moms would or would not think. This gift was for a 3 year old boy who would be overjoyed by the giant bag with Diego, his favorite adventurer, pictured on it. I chose the enormous bag and toted it through the mall, resolute not to care what others thought.
I realized later that my fears about what others might have thought of me were less of an indicator of their character than it was an indictment of my own. I feared judgment about the size of the gift bag because I’ve judged others about their gift wrapping. “Ooooh! Look who thinks her gift is the best!” was a judgment I’ve passed. We tend to impose our own thoughts, opinions and viewpoints on others. If I think that a big gift bag is an indicator of superiority, than others must think that too. After all, everyone thinks like I do, right?
It was almost as though a scale was removed from my eye. The connection between pride and insecurities became clear. “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.” seemed immediately applicable. When I voice my insecurities, I’m really telling you the things I’m judgmental or critical about in others. If I’m afraid to invite anyone over until my house is gleaming, for fear they’ll notice or judge me, you can bet that when I’m at a friend’s house I’m noticing and judging their space.
How about you? Do you worry about what others may think of your car, clothes, house, legs, hair, parenting, marriage,? How critical are you about those things in others? Pray God will open your eyes to any attitudes that don’t line up with His will for you.
If God reveals to you an attitude of pride, tell him about it! God is a God of grace, mercy and love. Jesus “came to the world not to judge it, but to save it.” (John 12:47) If you discover an attitude of pride lurking beneath your insecurities, confess it, repent, and ask God to help you “be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself” Phil 2:3 He will help you. He promises that. “The Lord is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” Phil. 2:13
Some Helpful Verses:
“Fear of men will prove to be a snare but whoever trusts in the Lord will be kept safe” Prov 29:25
“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you.” Luke 6:37
“Above all else, guard your heart for it affects all you do” Prov 4:23
1 comment:
I absolutely love this post. You have such a wonderful way of expressing yourself through your writing. I admire how you can convey your ideas so clearly and in an interesting way.
I think your great!
Char
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