To Proud to Change?

 

Proverbs 5:12 (New Century Version (NCV) 

Then you will say, “I hated being told what to do!  I would not listen to correction!

Let me tell you a parable about pride. Before the day of radar technology a U.S. Navy warship was headed to harbor one foggy night. A crackling voice came over the radio to the operator, “You need to divert your course 45 degrees north, as you are on a collision course with us.” The operator immediately called the Captain. “Tell them to divert their course 45 degrees to the south to avoid the collision, we are on course,” ordered the Captain. The voice on the other end said, “Cannot do that, you must change course.” Intimidated the Captain told the radio operator to tell them, “No, you will change course! We are a United States Navy Warship and you will change course!” After a moment the voice came back over the radio and said, “We are a lighthouse; your call.”

I cannot tell you how many times in my life that I have had to swallow my pride. Let me put that a different way; how many times I have had my pride shoved down my throat. King Solomon warned us that we do not want to get to the end of our life only to wish we had followed good instruction. What is it about our human nature that causes us to want things our way even to the point of fighting for it? Does it somehow make us inferior to others to admit we are wrong and they are right? You bet it does! At least we think so in our egotistical human mind. Take for just one example the speed limits on the highways. “Seventy miles per hour, why I can run eighty safely on this road. Who posted this limit anyway?” Of course we have our reasons for going faster and the state never took those into consideration. Perhaps the Trooper will.

We just do not like to be told what to do; even if our life depends on it. Most will gladly obey the guy who tells us to exit the building because it’s on FIRE! Of course some will have to smell the smoke or see the flames first before being convinced. Are there things you need to change in your life today? How you treat others, how you feel toward someone, maybe think you know more than they do? If so consider the words of the lighthouse attendant; “it’s your call.”