a bee and pride

 
At work one day, I noticed a bumble bee at the window. The bees had been an annoyance on the porch but one had moseyed inside and then realized his predicament and tried to get back out. Unfortunately, there was a window.  As I saw it struggling to get out  the window, I was reminded of the verses in 1 Peter 5: 5 and James 4:6 where it says “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble…”  God opposes the proud…  hello… literally the Creator of the universe opposing His creatures because of their pride.  I think of this in terms of a wall in front of you and if there is a wall in front of you. You probably aren’t going anywhere, anytime soon.  You can try to push through the wall but like the bee who was wearing his self out banging against the window you’ll probably end up pretty weary.
I felt sorry for him and got the broom to see if he would crawl up on the end of it long enough for me to help him through the door. He crawled on the broom but as soon as I moved it, he would fly off. Obviously, not understanding that I was trying to help him or that he couldn’t see the bigger picture of what was happening. He wouldn’t let go of his own way (banging against the window-which you would think after a time he wouldn’t want to be beating himself up-but what do I know).  The bee became increasingly more agitated and weary.

We are kind of like that bee. How often do we cling to what we think is best?  Not only do we cling to our plans and ways but get frustrated and wonder where God is and why something is hard and why we are weary with whatever we are doing.  Don’t hear me say following Christ is easy, or that you won’t ever be tired but there is a difference between walking with Him and struggling through the things of life with Him versus walking in pride and following our own ways.  

Amos 3:3 asks “Can two people walk together unless they have agreed upon the direction?” Try it- i dont think it will work out very well. But how often do we do that with God? We (I) try being self-reliant and think that life should be our (my) way (it’s not Burger King)… instead of stopping (in my case) my performance, grace-earning self-which makes me anxious and weary and looking to Him the author and perfector of faith. This will be a daily-multiple times a day lesson for the rest of my life. Learning to humble myself before Him and seeking His kingdom versus seeking “my” kingdom. Learning to turn to Him in repentance from doing my own thing and seeking and resting in His word and His ways.

Here are some gems about repentance and rest:
Isaiah 30:15 “… in returning (repentance) and rest, you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”   

Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

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