Opportunities for Humility!

  After moving to Michigan, I decided that a short haircut would be practical and easy to take care of. For one thing, it only takes a few minutes to dry and style with a hair dryer when standing in front of the bathroom mirror. But just when I think it’s good to go, a smaller hand-held mirror helps detect stubborn hairs sticking up in the back of my head that need attention too. Mirrors and hair keep me humble! 

   Our two dogs have a way of doing that as well. On our daily walks around the neighborhood, I try to avoid other pedestrians with dogs. It’s not that they are hostile to other dogs, but together they weigh about fifty more pounds than I do and are hard to control if they take off running after something.

   Teddy, a Golden Retriever, and TJ, a black lab, have been walking with me ever since they were adopted over five years ago, or rather, they have been pulling me around. Teaching them how to “heel,” “halt” and “stay” has been challenging.  So, when they actually walked by my side one afternoon, I noticed it right away.

   “Wow!” I thought to myself, “They have really improved. Maybe there is hope after all.” Just as I was feeling very happy and proud of myself for being such a good trainer, a lady came around the corner towards us with a large dog beside her.  I quickly maneuvered them off the sidewalk to give her some room to pass.

   Her dog was still much too close to Teddy and TJ. They lunged at him despite my pulling back on their new “happy walking” harnesses which attach to their leashes at the chest and go underneath their bodies. Each dog’s leash is clipped on to a sliding link that is supposed to throw him off balance if he doesn’t stay beside his owner.

   Well, the new harnesses worked and they both spun around; but for some unknown reason, Teddy jumped on TJ and pinned him to the ground, snarling and snapping at him. The lady and her dog scurried by, giving us plenty of room and looking rattled. It was an awful feeling. How was I going to separate them?

    After yelling at Teddy, I took a few steps, pulling on their leashes. I’m sure the Lord was helping me, because Teddy stood right up and came to my side. TJ, however, seemed shocked by the whole incident and hung back, afraid to walk next to him.

   Thankfully neither of them was bleeding; so, with TJ on one side of me and Teddy on the other, we continued our walk. I definitely had more humility and less confidence in my dog training ability than a few minutes earlier.

    Yesterday another opportunity for humility came along when I was helping to organize things for the church rummage sale. A woman examining tote bags, gasped, pointed to a large, decorated one and exclaimed that it was a special designer bag worth hundreds of dollars.

   To make matters worse, two other bags were tucked inside, each as valuable as the first. Well, the designer bags were quickly whisked away to the “Fabulous Finds!” room where they would be sold at a higher price.  I had no idea…three bucks seemed reasonable!

    Dear Father, you know the struggles each of us have with humility and pride. Please change us so that we can become more like Jesus. We ask this in His Name, by the power of your Holy Spirit, Amen.

   “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Ephesians 4:1-2 NIV