Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Ggrrrr...The Evil Threesome

I've been grumpy lately because of this! I was pulled over for having an expired safety check. GGrrrr... It's all current now but I'm still grumpy.

I notice I am not as inclined to write about junk things in my life as I am about fun things. Keep that in mind as you read this blog. I readily share the good things in my life, but I still keep the bad things private, especially when those bad things reveal character weaknesses. Don't let that fool you into believing that my life is all roses and no hardships. I have many hardships, many self induced.

I am lazy, selfish and proud and usually I feel helpless to change any of those attitudes. They are still the source of much of the grief in my life. In fact, let me introduce them as my nemesis. Let's call them the Evil Threesome.

They follow me around everywhere I go. They are most bothersome when I try to ignore them, and yet when I focus on them they get real dodgy. My attempts to subdue them glance off and the very attributes I need to defeat them are what they attack.

It takes tremendous effort to deliberately focus on making character changes, so Laziness attacks my persistence.

I have to be humble enough to admit that I need help and prayer. I don't want to share my shortcomings. Pride knows I want to be strong and admired, so attacks me there, making me unwilling to admit my failure and weakness.

I think a strong character reveals itself in the value one has for others. Honoring the elderly, caring for the young and weak, defending the defenseless, recognizing God's thumbprint on each and every life. Selfishness focuses my eyes on myself and in a way, prevents me from seeing the cracks in my character. My love for others goes untested, because I am too busy loving myself. It's like a crack in a wing of a fighter jet. So long as the flight is easy, smooth and no one is shooting, everything seems fine, but when the battle gets heated and the pilot needs to pull a high-G turn, the weaknesses become apparent and may mean the difference between life and death.

The Evil Threesome will likely be with me all my life, yet I vow not to make friends. I don't want to become comfortable with them, tolerating their presence in my life. I would love to be their worst nightmare, yet that takes persistence, humility and a servant heart.

Pray for me as I seek to strengthen these weak spots. I guess this has been a sort of safety check for the soul. Probably a good idea for everyone.

Peace, Love and Self Inspections,

Rich

3 comments:

Sandy Fewell said...

It takes a great deal of maturity to recognize our faults, it takes a tremendous courage to admit our faults, and it takes a great deal of humility to ask for prayer to rid us of our faults. I think God is working wonders to produce HIS character in you. You always have the prayers of your mom---and I must admit a bit of pride in the way God is conforming you.

Bolo said...

Amen, brother, amen.

Barbara said...

Hey Rich,
You're among good company - including Moses, Abraham, King David, and my personal favorite, Paul. Thank God for His grace that He so richly lavishes on us. Without Him life would be truly hopeless. So more power to ya! And thanks for the reminder!