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Topic: Pride (04/12/04)
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TITLE: Greasing the Wheel By Doug Rand 04/15/04 |
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The vice-president opined that much of the attitude one carries is influenced by his or her environment and that the point of view one possesses is strongly underwritten by the nurture, or lack thereof, of a child's parents or guardians. After a moment of introspection I concurred with the vice-president’s opinion (which I thought was a wise choice in that situation) but offered a slight inflection.
“I think that one’s attitude is driven by selfishness” I propounded.
This time it was the vice-president who silently contemplated before expressing guarded approval.
“How so?” she asked. And the hook was set.
Most of us began to strive for independence about the time we reached the age of two. After all, we were finally able to stand on our own two feet and to the un-illuminated that equates to total self-sufficiency. And on the few occasions we really needed assistance we, at two, were not averse to a public display or tantrum if we envisioned the end result of our effort would result in the instant gratification we desired.
By elementary school this behavior categorized little Junior as a “spirited” child. Similarly, such deportment was classified as typical teenage attitude and when adulthood finally arrived, independence was given glamorous acceptance as another graduate of the University of All-About-Me stepped into the world. The American workplace seems to hemorrhage with those who possess an attitude of self-sufficiency and who suffer from an acute entitlement disorder.
The vice-president continued to listen.
An arrogant pride has taken hold of our nation driven by an unrelenting liberal media. And though we see our economy, and with it our way of life, struggling to shake itself free of oppression, our prideful spirit of independence aggressively stands tall.
It may seem as though Ezekiel was speaking in riddles when he described the vision in which he saw “as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel” (Ezekiel 1:16) but perhaps what he saw was a vision of our day.
The invention of the wheel was a grand and glorious thing. But in order to function, it needed a hub to enable the wheel to turn and to support the weight of the load. It is apparent that large segments of our population have established the idea that they are the hub around which the world turns. Such pride feeds on being the center of all activity. But a free-spinning wheel creates friction that ultimately will begin to slowly wear away the weight-bearing properties of the hub. Unless the hub is made of a material designed to withstand the weight, heat, and pressure of the constant movement, the hub will disintegrate, the wheel will fall off, and the entire load will come crashing down.
The vice-president leaned forward in her chair. “What must the hub then be?” she inquired.
Pride goeth before destruction (Proverbs 16:18) and is a faulty building material. The world cannot revolve around us. We simply cannot hold up under that much stress. But Jesus can. Step aside and let Him be the wheel in the middle of the wheel in your life and see if your load isn’t a little easier to carry.
The vice-president nodded in agreement; which was a wise choice in that situation.