“Pride comes before a fall”….

Well actually the scripture reads “Pride goes before destruction and haughtiness before a fall.”  Proverbs 16:18(NLT)

 So many times you hear people quote portions of that scripture versus relaying the complete verse.  (Please read scriptures in their entirety for yourself to ensure you are placing scriptures in your pocket whole and in context).  Now if you look at the words pride and haughtiness you would think they are one in the same, but I decided to look them up because if they were the same God would not have come up with two words to differentiate between the levels of a person’s demise.  I also decided to look up the words destruction and fall.

Pride, as seen in Proverbs 16:18, in the Hebrew is gâˀôwn (gaw-ohn’).  Now the interesting thing about this word is that it holds both a negative and positive connotation. 

The positive connotation= excellency and majesty.  It is found in the more poetic books of the bible.

The negative connotation ( and the way it is majorly used in the bible)= arrogance, evil behavior , and perverse speech.  It is a perversion of what God intended for it to be.  It entails one person or nation thinking that they elevated themselves to the level on which they currently stand or reside.

Destruction, in the Hebrew is shêber.  It means a fracture, ruin, breaking, affliction, bruise, crashing, broken footed or handed, or vexation. 

Haughtiness, as seen in Proverbs 16:18, in the Hebrew is gôbahh.  It means grandeur, high, height (as a noun),or  loftiness.

Fall, in the Hebrew is kishshâlôwn, which comes from kâshal (kaw-shal), means to stumble, stagger, totter, be thrown down.

So after I reviewed all of the meanings I realized that the A clause of the scripture was a less severe, for lack of a better term, check from God than the B clause.  In the A clause pride is shown in its negative state.  God never created something to be used in a negative, self serving manner.  He created pride so that there was a sense of majesty and an acknowledgement of some things/persons excellence in Him.  For example, my parents are proud of me not because they feel they can brag on what they did, or how they created me, but because of the grace they know God has bestowed upon them and myself for me to turn out ok.  When pride is perverted and used negatively it breeds arrogance and evil behavior.  A person dealing with pride can experience fractures in relationships, ruin in their finances and personal lives, and so much more.

But when a person in an elevated status continues to nurture pride it becomes haughtiness.  They esteem themselves highly, and we at times, can place these people on pedestals.   It is in this place of perceived superiority that a person can either stumble, stagger, and fall or they may be pushed by someone that has felt the slight of their hand. 

In this scripture God is warning us of the dangers of having a pride that says “look what I did” verses giving him honor and praise for having the grace to do the things you do, know the things you know, and have the things you have.  We must watch that perverse version of pride.  At the first sight of it, pluck it up from the root and sweep the seeds of it away.  For if left uncheck as you continue to move to higher levels, your pride will grow and produce haughtiness.  That haughtiness will inevitably lead you to a fall.  So I guess in reality the road of Pride does lead to the city of a Fall, but you have the opportunity to check yourself at the exits of Destruction an Haughtiness…The choice, as always, is yours.

Divine

Can you see me now???

"But the two angels reached out, pulled Lot into the house, and bolted the door.  Then they blinded all the men, young and old, who were at the door of the house, so they gave up trying to get inside."  Gen 19:10-11 NLT

(The following are the things I heard as they came out.  I don't know if there is order to it or not, but I'm sharing it as is)

      I was speaking to a great sister friend the other day and I told her “you know sometimes I feel invisible.”  Now most times we would have laughed about that, but that day the conversation shifted to a serious manner.  The one thing that stuck with me were the words “maybe those people aren’t suppose to see you.”  That made sense…kinda.  Well this morning I got up and read my bible and the passage I read is one I’ve read many times over, but I’ve never noticed the things that were pointed out today.  

          This is the story of Lot who chose where he wanted his family to live.  He ended up in Sodom and Gomorrah, which is another illustration of how making choices based on how things look can place you in a world of trouble.  So Lot and his family are in a city that God has come down to judge and sentence, as well as execute said sentence.  (Ha!  He’s judge, jury, and executioner if need be)  Anywhoo, that evening two angels walked into the city gates and Lot was there with welcoming, protective, arms.  He urged the “men” to come in, rest at his home, and wait for daylight.  He knew the men of the town were perverse.  The “men” finally came in, had dinner, relaxed, and then the mob decided to swing by and demand that the “men” be given to them.  They yelled and screamed and threatened Lot, so much so that he even offers his two daughters to the mob in place of the men.  Now that’s a MAJOR sacrifice.  (I can only imagine their mother’s face after that statement was made O_o)  Finally the two “men” pulled Lot back into the house, sealed the door, and blinded the men.  It was not until their vision had been taken away that the mob gave up!
So a couple of things that stuck out to me about this story.  Lot lived in this town for YEARS and the bible never speaks of anyone in his family being attacked or harmed.  It was like the perverse men running around outside of the home during this chapter had never seen the family.  The town’s people knew they were there, but they never came to any harm.  Have you ever seen those news stories where a person loses it and kills someone and themselves and during an interview with the neighbor you hear the words “he/she seemed like a really nice person”.  Or “I never would have suspected XYZ from them, they were so quiet”.  They knew their neighbor was there and probably waved while walking into their house, but because there was no relationship there they were unable to see the deeper issues in their lives. When will we as Christians stop focusing on the exterior and really take time to build relationships with people.  That bridge you build may be the only one that person has seen that will lead them to Christ…but I digress.

      The second thing that gets me is the mob see’s the “men” pull Lot back into the house and seal the door shut.  Now most sane people would hit the door a couple of times and leave it along because they couldn’t get in.  The passage states that it was only after they were blinded, after their vision was hindered, that they gave up.  Three more things that stood out to me:
A)     The men in the mob never came after Lot of his family until the angels arrived.  There was something about those angels that drew out the worst in these men.  It’s almost like they knew the destruction of their city was at hand.  Who/What brings the worst out of you?  You may want to re-evaluate why you have these people/things around if they abet in behaviors that are not positive or edifying.
B)      As Christians we know that we walk by faith, which is us trusting in the ability of God’s sight.  We do not walk in what we see because our vision of a situation is not always the best.  When we choose to walk by what we see, and our vision is taken it is very easy to give up.  However if I’ve been walking according to what God has placed in me (my faith), I can continue to move forward even when things don’t look the way I think they should.
C)      Have you ever noticed that there are some people that walk around you and never say a word?  It’s almost like they don't see you.  Blindness is another form of protection.  I have said from time to time that I feel invisible.  And for a long time I walked around as the invisible person, until one day someone noticed me.  Luckily I was doing what I suppose to be doing, but I was in utter shock.  I never thought in a million years that this person noticed me as I quietly did what I was asked and moved on.

     Which brings me back to my conversation with my sister friend.  “Maybe they aren’t supposed to see you” stuck with me, and after reading this passage I know why.  The people that will edify you, push you to become a better you, and help hold you up in moments of weakness will see you.  And they will only see you at the appointed time.  Never get upset if a person acts as if they are blind to your presence.  That specific type of blindness may be the most precious gift from God! Lot and his family were protected before and after the angels arrived.  They were set apart, and that made is so easy for the angels to distinguish between them and the mob.

      I thank God for those with the sight to see me as I am, and praise him for those that are blinded.  The people that need to see you, will see you (without you drawing attention to yourself), and those that do not will remain blinded until the appropriate time!

And what’s the point of...

Love and Marriage.  Yes I asked this question and when I did the reactions made me feel like I asked “where do babies come from”.  J   I was, and still am, quite serious about that question.  Many people believe that as girls, we are conditioned to want the perfect husband, 2.5 kids, and the house with the white picket fence.  Unfortunately people don’t figure in women like me.  The one’s who have to experience the realities of life at a young age.  I was never the child to sit and dream about my wedding or a family.  At an early age I had to experience the real possibility that my mom would not live to see my 10^th birthday.  Sad, but oh so true.  Now don’t get me wrong, my life was not tragic.  I did however have to deal with some things between the ages of 7 and 21 that many of my friends didn’t see until they were in their early 20s.   And with those experiences came a different outlook on life.

So at some point in the last two years I asked my wonderful cousin (whom I love for never judging me) the ill fated question…What’s the point of love and being married?  She gave me some great wisdom that I will cherish forever, and it started me on the path to figuring out what it meant for me.  The first place I looked was my manual for life…My Bible.  I Corinthians 13: 4-7 states:

  ⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵ or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. ⁶ It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. ⁷ Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

So after reading the passage I began to think “does this really exist?”  The answer I got is yes.  It may translate differently from relationship to relationship, but it does exist.  I found three wonderful examples that are present in my life of this scripture, and surprisingly enough some of them are my ageJ  The first example I found were my parents.  As I’ve stated my mom fell ill and when they came and told me, I knew it could be bad.  However I saw my dad do everything short of gives his life to make sure my mom got better.  He loved her through the good and bad times, and not only did he love her, but he made sure that my brother and I had the love we needed.  He made sure that our family was surrounded by positive praying people. He protected us, and nursed my mom back to health.

The second example is a younger couple that had to stand together and fight for their love when other people advised them to just give up.  Through that process they patiently learned about each other’s strengths and weaknesses so that they could cover each other when met by opposition.  The steps they take everyday are a constant reminder that when walking with humility, patience, and regard for one another that a married couple is a force to be reckoned with.

Recently I was given the privileged to witness the third example: a wedding where I knew that the couple meant EVERY WORD of the vows they spoke to each other.  They had lived it!  As I heard their words I began to cry. The vows I’d heard so many times suddenly took a reviving breath for me.  “In good time and bad, in sickness and health” had a very real, tangible meaning for me.  I knew that the couple had walked through good and bad, sickness and health, and stood on the other side of each hand in hand, standing firm on their love for each other and their relationship with God.  These are just a few of the points of love and marriage.  It’s never about the individuals making the covenant; it’s about the unit as a whole.  I wish more people my age realized that this commitment is not about the wedding day, but it is about all the things you will stand through, build up, and the paths you will blaze as a unit. 

Yes I’ve found a few points to marriage and as I continue to walk through life I’m sure more will be revealed.  So I pose the question again, without cynicism or a mocking tone, what is the point of love and marriage?  No one can answer this question for you, but I promise it’s worth the time you will take to search it out.

Why Blog...

So why start a blog... I started the blog as a way to get things out, but I also thought it would be a great way for me to learn.  I've always learned thing and ways to research when I'm teaching concepts to others.  Yes I know it's odd, but oh so true!  So with that said, let me include include the following warning...

*This blog will range from an epiphany here and there to things I'm learning about my favorite thing in the world...The Word of God!  I am no expert, so don't freak out if you don't agree with something I say.  JUST BREATH...LOL!  *

And with that ladies and gentlemen....Let's get it :)