I'm Not God, But I Often Think I Am

In Ezekiel 28:1 the prophet admonishes the king for making himself a God, relying on his own wisdom and power, acting without waiting for the discernment of God’s will. I’d like to say I never do that, but I do, and often. I ask for God’s blessing to do what I deem best and plunge ahead, not waiting for his answer. Other times, I follow his will, but out of my own desires, not his.

I also make myself a god when I judge others, playing the Pharisee to the tax collector, extolling my virtues over theirs. If I’d never act the way they do, then they must be wrong. 

Exalted

Original Art by Cecilia Marie Pulliam

Jesus said, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 14:11

When I first began art lessons, my dad encouraged me and gave me a challenge with each painting. “That’s good, Sisser, but not as good as Jackson.”

Jackson was a regional artist whose large painting hung in our living room. For years I worked hard to be as good an artist as Jackson. Then one day, I gave my dad a painting of one of his favorite subjects: a ponderosa pine, an old cabin, and mountains draped in snow.

My dad said, “It’s just as good as Jackson’s.”

I was thrilled, I wanted to burst into song and dance.

Then he added, “But not as good as Charles Russell.”