Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool,
but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.
– Proverbs 28:26 (ESV)

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 program. As head coach of the junior varsity football team, I was proud of the fact we were winning and was giving 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 the game and open the bus 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 you feed it, the hungrier it gets. The Bible teaches that everything we have is a gift from God. His desire is that we will use these gifts to honor Him and to serve others. 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 themselves in the mirror.

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