A Life Lesson

Life is full of lessons.

I learned a valuable one last week.

This particular lesson isn't one that I've never heard before, and it's one I teach my own kids all the time.

.

It's about respect.

When I started studying to teach my Sunday School lesson this past Sunday, I knew I'd be studying those 6 things that God hates (Prov 6:16), but I had no idea how subtly the first one could intrude into my daily thinking. And that's how the devil attacks those who truly want to grow in Christ. Those people who know the truth and aren't necessarily tempted by the "obvious" sins...things like murder, drugs, etc. People who are sometimes oblivious to the subtleties of sin.

People like me.

The first mentioned sin that God hates is arrogant eyes. I've never thought of myself as one who looks down on others. Most people don't, especially those who aren't filthy rich. Arrogance seems to be more of a materialistic sin, right? I have a better car/house, and more money, so I'm going to associate myself with those type of people...that way of thinking.

I LOVE to take certain words that I'm studying and look them up in the dictionary. Not because I don't understand what they mean. But because my perspective is changed every time I take a fresh look at the true meaning behind a word, and not just rely on my jaded view of a word's meaning based on my own experiences or what society says that word means.

Arrogant: Proud, Insolent.

That's the meaning of arrogant and arrogance. Okay, I get the proud part. We all do! But what about that second word?...insolent...? Do you know what insolent means? It means, "disrespectful". WOW! I never associated arrogance with being disrespectful. But if you really think about it...it's not hard to see the connection.

Back to my life lesson...

When my Mom and I were in our "dogfight" in Grandma's car last week, I was disrespectful towards my Mom. Insolent. Arrogant.

The life lesson I teach my kids all the time is this:

"No matter who is wrong or right...no matter what another person says or does to you...you are still responsible to God for your actions and reactions."

When I stand before God, and He asks me why I spoke that way to my Mother, He's asking ME why I spoke that way. And when I say to Him, "Because, Lord, she was ugly to me", I GUARANTEE YOU THAT HE WILL RESPOND TO ME BY SAYING, "I'm not talking about HER...I'm talking about YOU, Carmen."

In light of my God showing me that lesson through my studies,

I apologized to my Mother.

Did I really want to apologize? Maybe. Do I love God and my Mother? YES!!! And I certainly can't ask my own children to live by a life lesson or values that I'm not willing to live by, also.

Now, I have to admit that I don't believe for one moment that my reasoning for being upset was wrong. But I do have to admit that my actions due to my hurt/anger was wrong. Period. No excuses.

And guess what? When we stand before God...and regardless of what we believe, we WILL ALL stand before Him, we will have...

no excuses.