Psalm 51:17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart You, God, will not despise.
My students and I have talked much this year about humility. In order to grow, we all have to be humble enough to realize that we have room to grow. We have to check our delicate egos that sometimes get bruised when we feel we’re being criticized. We have to be big enough, strong enough to say, “I want to be better than I currently am. Help me to grow by showing me areas where I can improve.” I think this is exactly the attitude being described in Psalm 51:17.
Psalm 51:4 Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight….
It is easy to harbor negative thoughts and feelings against humans. It’s easy to be angry when we feel we have been slighted. It’s easy to say my anger is justified because of someone else’s actions. It is so much more difficult to do any of that when I acknowledge the God that is reflected in every one of His children. That single shift in perspective now shows me that my negative thoughts and my anger are aimed at God’s children, His deeply beloved, and by extension, at Him, the Creator. That’s certainly a sobering thought.
Psalm 51:1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; according to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
Lord, Thank You for this day and the perspective You have given with this scripture. Help me to always recognize and respond to You in Your children. Help me to always be humble enough to say, “I want to be better than I currently am. Help me to grow by showing me areas where I can improve.” Help me to love Your children and to shine Your light every moment of every day. Draw me closer. Amen.
Psalm 51:12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.
Have a blessed day.
2 Replies to “Humility and growth…. (devo reflection)”
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Beth I enjoy your devotions very much and thank you for allowing your son and husband to hike the Appalachian trail. Seeing your heart through your devotionals helps me to have some peace because my husband has connected with your family and it gives me hope that God is still in control.
Thank you for reading these reflections and for taking the time to reach out, Sharon. I have always said that anything good that ever comes from my reflections is directly credited to my Savior as I try to listen and write what he lays on my heart each day.
I knew when God placed this AT trip on our hearts, nudging us that it was His will for our family, that He would do amazing things through this journey. I can already sense it through Rob and Gav, and I know for me personally, He is helping me to live Phil 4:5-8 in a way that has never been possible for me. “…The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
God is good, my friend, and He is with us and with our spouses on the trail. My prayers for you and yours as we support our loved ones as they live out Isaiah 43:19 through their AT journeys: “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness….”