Like the Rocks in My Garden

My garden had become overgrown with weeds and I decided to clean it up. I got the hoe and started to work. There were lots of hidden rocks in my garden but one in particular was buried deep and hidden not only by the weeds but by the dirt. When the metal of my hoe hit the stone sparks flew. When at last I was able to pry up the stone I was attacked by fire ants that were living beneath it. The fire ants furiously swarmed my legs curling their bodies into a C shape as they bit with their mandibles and stung with their stingers. I had to stop and ask myself, "How badly do I want flowers instead of rocks and weeds, is this worth it?"

In my life pride is buried deep like the rocks in my garden. So deep I don't even realize it's there. Sometimes this hidden rock is exposed by confrontation, when that happens the sparks fly. The rock or pride is so much a part of the landscape of my life it's hard to get rid of it even when it's been exposed. My anger is often like a fire ant attack. This process can be so unpleasant that sometimes, I confess, I just walk away and leave the stone in place.

I have been reading through the book of Isaiah and I see Isaiah's word causing sparks to fly as God used him to confront the Israelite's about their sin. As long as their pride was in tack the response to Isaiah's word would be bitter anger. The antidote to both the pride and the anger was humility. "For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: 'I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the heart of the contrite.'" (Isaiah 57:15)

The only cure for pride is humility the only hope when the fire ants of anger attack is to call the on the one God sent to deliver me. "Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends if the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak." ( Isaiah 40:28,29) When I have humbled myself before Him and the painful work of removing my pride has been accomplished only then am I ready for the flowers to be planted in my garden.

Lord Jesus, I can only know where these hidden places of pride are in my heart when You expose them. This process is not pleasant but I would rather have the flower of grace than the stone of pride in my heart. Please do for me what I cannot do for myself as I humble myself before You. Thank You for being my Redeemer and the gardener of my soul.