**Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.** Psalm 25:8,9
Continuing with Psalm 25, we see the contrast between a Holy God and sinful humans. Although God has every right to reject and abandon the human race because He is holy and perfect and we are not, our verse tells us that God takes the first step towards us. The closer God approaches, the more He shows us the path towards right faith and life.
I believe that the Lord sends several messengers in the form of friends, family and even strangers, into our lives that share with us the good news of the gospel. As I have listened to many stories of how someone has understood and believed in the gospel of Jesus Christ, I have been able to see the many times that He speaks this good news into their hearts over their lifetime. It is as if the Lord knows that we cannot grasp this information all at once. That it must be administered little by little, like seeds in a garden. He is sowing seeds of righteousness into a rocky, waterless and unyielding soil. The soil doesn’t seem to know what to do with those seeds of purity and goodness. He sows a little, waters a little and shines his Son over the rocky soil of our hearts. Until one day, we understand enough to take our first step towards him.
All of this is happening at the same time that each of us begins to recognize that our life is too big for us to manage on our own. Problems, conflicts, or heartache can all overwhelm us. In the middle of these difficulties, our heart begins to change and we start to take those first steps in God’s direction. Life has humbled us. Happiness may no longer feel like it is within our reach. This is when we begin to understand that we cannot go on without help. The seeds have begun to take root and grow.
Now, that we have taken our first steps towards God, God begins to take giant steps towards us. He sees those seeds growing, our hearts softening and our pride diminishing. Humility and a teachable heart and mind help us to learn more from him and allow him to sow more and more of his uprightness in our lives.
Until the day that we get it.
When the lights come on, and understanding fills our heart and soul and we run headlong towards him.
That moment introduces us to a whole new world of truth, goodness and joy. Those seeds have become a mighty sunflower that is most beautiful when it faces the Son.
Our life does not become a Disneyland world with no problems and cares, but we do begin to see that we are not alone. That we have never been alone. That God has always been there, close by, just waiting for us to invite him to share our lives and help us through the tough times.
Whether we have just included God into our lives, or we have done it a long time ago, every day we can decide if we are going to learn more from him or if we are going to walk away again to follow our own path.
We can choose between pride and humility, self-sufficiency or teachability in our relationship with God and that will reflect on our marriage, with our children or with our parents, at work and in our community.
Pride is a great tempter. But those that want to know Jesus Christ more, to know more about his life, his essence and his Spirit, will have to do it on the path of humility.