Humility Begins With Surrender

Sometimes, big aha moments stem from being brutally honest with ourselves.

And sometimes, our honesty can help someone else move forward.

So let’s talk about what can sometimes be the elephant in the room, the plank in our own eye, the thing holding us back, etc.

Pride.

As much as we’d like to think we’re not, there is probably something (or, if we’re being honest, a few things) in life we’re boastful about.

I could provide a list of examples, but I have a hunch that thing (or things) came to mind naturally.

I’d like to share one of mine from the last few weeks.

By now, you’ve probably heard about the new health journey I’m on. And you may have heard me mention it hasn’t been smooth sailing.

God, in His infinite wisdom, showed me why, and I wasn’t too thrilled with the answer.

I walked into this program thinking it wouldn’t be hard because our diet was already pretty clean and I knew how to make healthy food choices. Having children with food sensitivities has taught us a lot.

Yes, we had only healthy fats in the house. Yes, most things are homemade and minimally processed. Yes, the vast majority was organic and we raise/grow many things ourselves. Yes, we use high quality supplements.

No, I didn’t need a sugar overhaul. No, I didn’t need to wean off caffeine, soda, coffee, or alcohol. No, I wasn’t sedentary.

So why then, as I approached week two, then three, and then four, was I feeling worse than before?

What was contributing to both my weight and tummy bloat oscillating like a yo-yo?

And why on earth was it so darn hard to find foods that fell within my allotted macros?

For crying out loud, I should have all this figured out with all we’ve gone through!!!

I tried finding a common thread, played around with the macros myself and even stopped logging macros for a few days (sorry coach!).

One morning, overwhelmed with trying to figure things out amongst everything else in life, underwhelmed with how the program was working, and ready to trash the whole macros side of things, I stood still, looked up, and prayed.

Oh, I’d been praying for guidance the whole time, but I think this time I was just tired enough that God was finally able to get a word in.

Naturally, He reminded me of the book study I’m doing. “Hard is Not the Same Thing as Bad”

Ouch.

Still standing, now with tears in my eyes, I surrendered my health journey to God all over again.

I confessed that I was falling into a victim mentality of, “Well, not everything works for everyone, and even though so many others have had great success with this program, and mine has been up and down, it’s okay because I just must be different. So, it’s okay to walk away.”

I also had to confess that because I thought I knew so much about healthy food, it would be fine to tweak things on my own based on what I’ve done with similar programs in the past.

Did you catch that?

My pride was like a huge weight around my neck causing me to stumble.

It was creating a barrier that made it hard for me to set aside what I already knew and soak in what this new program had to share.

I had to completely humble myself, and go all the way back to square one…

Re-reading coach emails, searching program info brochures, browsing their blog posts and app resources, and praying with a freshly softened heart for God to reveal what I was missing.

And you know what it was?

Water.

Yep, water.

“Wow Peggy, look where your pride led you, how far back it set you, and the unnecessary stress it caused. Great, good job there.”

Just needed a whole lot more of some good old plain water.

Friends, I know this may feel like a silly story.

But I think therein lies the danger.

Sometimes pride is big and loud and we (and everyone around us) know it’s a problem.

Other times, it creeps in.

Satan likes to disguise things. He can take something we genuinely know a lot about, are really good at, or have a lot of, and feed us little lies here and there that start affecting us.

Maybe it looks like a slightly inflated ego, tuning someone else out, flaunting an asset, looking down on others, refusing to share, demanding your way, or treating others as less than.

Proverbs 16:18 reminds us that pride leads to destruction.

The prophet Isaiah warns us not to consider ourselves wise or clever. (Isa. 5:21)

After stating it’s impossible for us to serve two masters (God and money), Jesus told the Pharisees in Luke 16:15, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.” We could probably replace money with whatever we pride ourselves in.

I think the next biggest danger is not dealing with our pride after it’s revealed.

That can harden our hearts, create distance between us and God, and dim our lights as Christ followers.

Spend some time in prayer, especially if something came to mind while reading this.

We can take hope in James 4:10, “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.”

Additionally, 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Having to admit our faults is never fun, but it is incredibly freeing and creates a stronger relationship with God.

And in case you’re wondering, my results with the program have gotten way better now that I’m taking time to really listen, and getting my quota of water in.

Heavenly Father, You are so merciful and kind. Thank You for loving us despite our prideful tendencies. Lord, help us to notice when we’re being led astray. Open our eyes and hearts to catch the devil’s schemes before they gain traction. Enable us to hear Your Word and recognize Your guidance and direction above all others. May our actions and words always bring honor to You. In Your name we pray, Amen.