Pride like Paco?

TODAY’S PROVERB: Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18, TLV

 

Our daughter had a chihuahua named Paco. Most chihuahuas are fearless. In many ways, our Paco was the epitome of pride, adorable though he was. He wasn’t afraid of too many things, even things he should have had the sense to avoid, like Rottweilers and heights.

We were constantly reigning him back from trouble. One of his bad habits was to climb on top of the couch, wait for our old dog, Keshia, to walk by. He then would leap onto her back. Keshia outweighed Paco by at least fifteen pounds and also had a temper. But Paco was fast. He would dive-bomb her — scaring her to death — then run like the wind.

No amount of reprimanding Paco did any good. He kept doing it because, well, because he could. He trusted his aim and ability to outrun us all.

One evening, Bob and I were in another room when we heard Keshia’s yip, followed by an unexpected yelp from Paco. We ran into the living room to find Paco limping. Either Keshia had finally nipped her attacker, or he had missed his soft target.

A trip to the vet revealed the mystery. The little guy had indeed missed his target and had landed so hard he shattered his elbow. After a complex and expensive surgery, he recuperated remarkably well.

Even more importantly, he had learned his lesson. He never dive-bombed Keshia again.

Pride can surface in our lives so easily, because pride trusts in our abilities over God’s. It can sneak up on us and if we’re not careful, cause us to fall — hard.

How do we guard against pride taking root in us? Gratitude. Humility. Remembering who we are and who our Heavenly Father is — the Creator of the Universe. Acknowledging how small we are and how big God is will keep us from those hard falls.

May we walk humbly and in gratitude, my friends.

Proverbs 16:18 Tree of Life Version – TLV, #tlvbible, #tlvproverbs