Pride

“In general, pride is at the bottom of all great mistakes.”  John Ruskin

Randy and I had a very successful and eventful two years in Dalton during the years of 1974-76.  I watched with pride as Randy took over Sunday night services, started a Sunday School class, and became a spark plug for the church.  Through his efforts, a declining Sunday night service began to draw a huge crowd, youth attendance increased, and inactive folks began to return!  I was puffed up with pride!  In March of 1976, we welcomed Rob, our first born! Life was very good.

It was about this time that the District Superintendent came to Randy and told him that he needed him to step out and take his first “pastor in charge” appointment. That is a church of your own. I was devastated! How could I be expected to move away from all the joy and excitement we had built in Dalton?!  Surely after all the achievements should be rewarded?! However, these decisions and sentiments were not up to us or more accurately, me.

We were presented with the opportunity to serve a county seat church in a precious North Georgia town.  It wasn’t Dalton, but I reasoned that we could do this.  About three weeks before moving day, that appointment fell through because a minister with “more” experience got the job.  Instead, we were presented with our new appointment – a two church circuit with the parsonage located in the tiny community of Newborn.  How could God expect me to move with a three month old child to this uncharted place? What an injustice!

Reality is reality, so that very day, Randy and I drove over to the little community and stopped in front of a beautiful little white church which was at the end of a street and the first thing you saw as you turned the corner.  The next door neighbor, who we would come to know as Sam, walked over to us as we stood there looking. “Well,” he said, “you must be our new preacher. I’ve heard that God will be using you to bring our little church back to life! I knew you’d be coming by to see our community and church.  Welcome!”  He reached in his back pocket and brought out a pair of work gloves.  “I am here to put my gloves on and do whatever you need. Let’s get to work!  I can hardly wait to see what God has in store!”

In that moment, I knew that I had committed a terrible injustice.  I almost missed God’s grace for us and this little church because of pride.  I had let my pride get in the way of our calling.  I had forgotten that I am the glove, but God is the hand that fills it. Without Him, we can do nothing.

In June, we packed up our new baby, our few personal belongings, loaded our cars, and moved to Newborn to start helping fill the gloves with God’s hands.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, rather in humility value others above yourselves.”  Phillippians 2:3