THE BIG PICTURE

Recently, I read an article called The Subtlety of Self-Justification | True Woman that really got me thinking about my heart attitude as an early teen (and into my super early 20s). This article NAILED it.

She writes:

"Self-justification is one of the sneakiest and most subtle forms of deceit the enemy uses in the lives of Christians. When we are not open and eager for the Spirit of God to correct and refine us, we often spend a huge amount of time and mental energy trying to convince ourselves that we are just fine the way we are. Then, when fellow Christians challenge us with truth, it either hurts our pride or touches on an area of compromise in our life that we are unwilling to give up. And the only way to avoid admitting that we are in the wrong is to lash out at that person and try to discredit them."

So what was my attitude you ask?

Whether it be the way I wanted to dress, what movies I wanted to see, what music I wanted to listen to, or the standards I had with guys… there was a constant bucking up in my heart in each area of my life. In every area my parents tried to instruct me, I would get caught up on each and every little technicality. I constantly had problems with justifying what I wanted to do regardless of what my parents/others said. I definitely was not open to God correcting and refining me. And what’s worse I constantly played the "blame game" on my parents and anyone else who questioned my decisions or judgements.

And honestly, I didn't just become this way overnight.

This all started somewhere. At some point in my late teens as I gained more "independence",  I allowed the seed of pride to grow inside of my heart. What started out as something small (like a small snowball) began to roll and roll and ROLL and ROLL until I got to the point I was so blinded by my pride that no matter what my parents talked to me about I would find a reason to disagree. My heart had become diseased with pride. I got to the point where I didn’t care about how my choices or decisions and how it effected other people (including girls who were younger then me and looked up to me).

If only I had responded in humility…

Getting caught up on technicalities is a red flag of a heart condition. Pride. And the scary thing is that we don’t always see just how dangerous pride can be until it’s too late.

"When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom." Proverbs 11:2

So how do you respond to your parents when they suggest covering up a little more? Does your heart say in humility "THANK YOU!" or "Seriously? What’s the big deal?"

What thoughts run through your mind when you're not allowed to see the movie all your friends are going to see? Does your heart say in humility "I will choose to trust my parents with this decision" or does your heart "It’s not like it’s rated R or anything"

Believe it or not, the small situations that come up every day are molding and shaping your heart. Either into a humble heart or a prideful heart.