Pride, Prejudice And Blessed Patience.....

   I've Had To Deal With Some Issues Of Pride In My Life Lately That I Hadn't Realized Were There. The Prideful Issue Of Trying To Do Everything Myself. And That Turned Into A Prejudice For Refusing To Ask For Or Accept Help Sometimes, Even With The Small Things In Life.
  We Were Raised To Take Care Of Our Own And Stick It Out, No Matter What. But What Happens When You Are Physically Incapable Of Doing This? This Was My Spiritual Conundrum.
   See, Unfortunately, My Wife And I Have Been Pretty Sick Again Lately. Seems Like Some Hideous, Parasitic Flu That Refuses To Let Go. ...Fatigued, Nauseous, In Pain All Over. And Have Had A Stressful Living Situation For Awhile, So The Accompanying Depression Has Not Helped. Neither Does Age.
  But, Thank God For How He Always Brings Help When Needed. Even When I Didn't Ask.
A Sweet, Young Couple That Are Our Neighbors Went Grocery Shopping For Us. They Helped Clean Part Of Our House And Are Doing Laundry For Us Because Our Washer And Dryer Both Broke Down Within A Week Of Each Other. My Elderly Neighbor Next Door Brought Over Other Bags Of Groceries Also. And Then Was Insisting, Along With Another Sweet Neighbor Lady, That I Go To The Dr. Or, .. I Quote, "We're Going To Take You And C. (The Neighbor) Will Help Us Do It."...End Quote. Period. And If You Read My Last Post On The 11th, You'll See That Our Heating Problem Was Suddenly Solved, Also Out Of The Blue, By His Miraculous Grace.
And Now, The Last Word In My Title...Patience.
Through These Trials And Tribulations, I Realized The Father Has Taught Me More About Patience And Walking In Love And Humility Than Ever Before. I've Got To Be Even More Patient With Myself, And Learn, To Humble Myself Sometimes And Ask For Help. If It's So Easy For Me To Do It With Jesus, Why Does It Seem So Hard To Ask Others?
  Patience Is An Ever-Growing Characteristic Of The Christian Life In Jesus. And It's Probably One Many Of Us May Never Conquer, Except Through His Continual Help And Grace.
  Pride Is Another Beast Altogether. Described In Proverbs 6:16-19, "There Are Six Things The Lord Hates, Seven That Are Detestable To Him: Arrogant Eyes, A Lying Tongue,And Hands Shedding Innocent Blood; A Heart Crafting Evil Plans, Feet Running Swiftly To Wickedness, A False Witness Snorting Lies, And Someone Sowing Quarrels Between Brothers."
   Pride. One That Doesn't Start On The Outside, But Begins Insidiously In The Depths Of Our Hearts. One Of The 7 Things God Hates The Most And If You Notice, It's The First Thing Mentioned. Perhaps Because It Can Be One Of The 'Roots' Of All The Others. And Yes, I've Been Guilty Of It. I Can See It Now, In Subliminal Ways In My Life.
   Sometimes The Spiritual Knowledge Or Insight We Have Been BLESSED With Can Be A Source. When People Tell You Later On, "Oh, Hey Man! How Did You Know That Would Happen?" Well, That Can Be A Fast Track For The enemy To Get A Foothold In Your Heart. I've Learned The Hard Way. Nothing Like Having The Holy Spirit Take You Down A Spiritual Peg Or Two. Life Tip #1) Don't Go There With Him.
   And Then Sometimes, Pride Is Steeped Within Our Own Stubbornness Or The Way We Were Raised. We Refuse To Break Down Those Walls Of "I Can Do It By Myself" And Reach Out.
  And Then, Your Life Can Quickly Descend Into A Very Fine Mess, . Without Others, We Cannot Survive. If We Don't Reach Out, To Not Only God And Man, We Will Perish. Our Pride Will Be Our Divide Not Just In Life, But From His Precious Spirit. I Don't Ever Want To Lose My Connection To Him, No Matter How My Life May Fall Apart. Because, Just Like That, Jesus Will Step In Once It's Time And Turn It All Around For Us For The Impact Of The Testimony For Him And Obviously, Our Benefit. Life Tip #2) NEVER Pray For Patience. You'll Get Enough Chances To Work That One Out.
Again And Again, Over The Years, We Have Watched Him Come Through With Powerful, Miraculous Deliverances For Us: Medical Emergencies, Sudden Death, Emotional, Physical, And Spiritual Bondages, Financial Difficulties And On And On. And ALWAYS At Just The Right Time. And Once Again He Will Come On The Scene With A Miracle When We Least Expect It.
  We Just Need A Little More Patience.......<3'n Jesus Always,k.