“The one who trusts in himself is a fool,
but one who walks in wisdom will be safe.”
– Proverbs 28:26

 
Have you ever thought too highly of yourself? I was guilty of falling into that trap as a young coach working with a very successful high school football program. As head coach of the junior varsity team, I was proud of the fact we were winning and gave much of the credit for our success to my masterful coaching. Looking back, I see how foolish I was. The reality of the situation was that I had talented athletes who could play. I can laugh about this now, but I honestly believe the most important role I had was to successfully drive the team to the game and open the door. The program and the athletes were the reasons for success, not an immature coach with an overly inflated ego.

Putting too much trust in our abilities is a recipe for disaster. I have heard it said that ego has a huge appetite and the more we feed it, the hungrier it gets. The Bible teaches that everything we have is a gift from God. He desires that we use these gifts to serve others and to bring Him glory. Wisdom also comes from God, and we must be careful not to take ourselves too seriously. When we start thinking it’s all about us, we can expect an attitude adjustment is in our future. It’s a wise person who spends more time looking up to God than staring at himself in the mirror.

Heavenly Father, give me the wisdom to see things through Your eyes. Help me today Lord, to comprehend the little me and the big You. Teach me to simply drive the bus, open the doors and let You do the rest. Amen.