“Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”
Proverbs 3:6 (NLT)
A lesson in arrogance was unexpected.
Too often I think I know everything. I’ll question authority, push the limits, defy the rules, always insisting I have the last word. I actually drove around the block eight times one night in high school just to make sure I got home late. My know-it-all attitude has colored my relationship with my parents, my teachers, even God who I assumed was just another imposing authority figure dictating what I should do and how I should do it.
When my husband and I moved to Monroe, Washington, a local pastor stopped by the house and extended an invitation to “Give us a try.” The neighborhood church was only a couple blocks away. I was intrigued. Perhaps an hour on Sunday, a couple hymns, and a good sermon would be a nice addition to life with my husband and young sons. Should any childrearing episodes result in a parenting disaster, I’d be able to confess my shortcomings and leave with a little forgiveness and a chance at a fresh start on Monday.
So, the family and I went to church.
In addition to worshipping each Sunday, I was soon planning church celebrations, playing my violin, leading meetings, and sharing prayers, still not taking any advice or counsel from God or anyone else, still thinking I knew everything about everything. My arrogance came into sharp focus when I decided how best to “help” with our Wednesday night program for elementary school kids.
I was somewhat familiar with the midweek program, but I didn’t know its goals or its objectives. I did know the children were louder than I thought appropriate in a church building. But rather than speak with the leader or the parents and volunteers involved, I barged in with all the changes I thought best.
And our Wednesday nights were awful.
My arrogance, my insistence on order, had the kids almost marching between dinner and outdoor play, Bible lessons and music time. The only thing missing was Captain von Trapp’s whistle. My constant “Inside voices!” left the children unsure how to enjoy themselves. Before I could smile and loosen up a bit, they were pleading with their parent to go home and not come back.
Steve, the leader, took me aside after the third week. “Deanna,” he said, “we appreciate your willingness to help on Wednesdays.” Using his “inside voice,” he suggested, “Perhaps a little less regimentation and a little more fun?”
In one of the Proverbs is an admonition to seek God’s will in all we do, not something I was doing Wednesday nights with my arrogance. Or other nights! Solomon knew God would show us the path to take. I began to see that path in my conversation with Steve.
Before going home that night, I went and sat in the church which was dark and empty, but light enough for me to see calla lilies on the altar. I smiled at the beauty of the tall bell-shaped blooms. They always remind me of God, whether blooming in my garden or rising tall in church. In the quiet of the moment, I said aloud, “Maybe, just maybe, I don’t know it all.” Rolling my eyes at my struggles and arrogance, praying God might appreciate my humor, I added, “Maybe, just maybe, you do.”
Dearest Lord,
Help us seek your will in all we do. Show us the path to take.
Amen.
Deanna is the author of five books, Fruit of My Spirit, Signs in Life, Bouquet of Wisdom, “Grandma, You Found Me!” and “Grandma, I Did It!” She enjoys speaking with women’s groups, too.
