The stumbling blocks I put in my path stem from pride.
I stumble, also known as sin. I sin. There are too many to list here, and I am not sure my heart could take reading the entire list. Truthfully, my pride would not be able to take it. However, God uses gentle reminders and His word to guide me to the truth. This reminds me of a verse:
“Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble” 1 John 2:10.
As I keep rereading the verse, I stop to listen. The last part is what keeps ringing true in my life. How many times have I stumbled? Many, many times and if I am stumbling, then I am not fully in the light. It amazes me how quickly I can get engulfed with darkness. Dwelling on past moments of stumbling, replaying conversations, and prideful thinking are a few.
Dwelling on past moments of stumbling …
When I sit and allow my mind to go towards past moments of sin, I slowly get entangled in the dark. Thinking of past hurts keep me from walking on God’s lighted path. Looking backwards, I am no longer able to look ahead. Therefore, I stumble again and again. Learning from the past is beneficial, but the key is to learn, then move on and not repeat. This leads to my next stumbling block.
Replaying conversations …
Along with dwelling on past moments are replaying the conversations that coincide. I cannot change the past but I will waste countless hours thinking about it. How does this accomplish anything? It doesn’t, however letting go and reading the Word will reveal truth. Romans 15:4 is a perfect illustration.
Prideful thinking …
As I mentioned at the beginning of this blog, I have struggled with pride. The moment I repented and acknowledged God for who He is, my eyes were unveiled. At the root of my stumbling blocks was pride. Pride had taken a hold of my life. Pride can be positive but not so in my case. It created fear in me. The fear of being wrong. Yes, how silly it sounds. But the emotion behind it was intense for me. My face would get red. I felt defeated.
Once I began seeing how pride had interwoven into my hurts and brokenness, I could see the destruction it had caused. I began to say “I’m sorry” and “I am wrong”. Simple phrases and yet healing for me and others. My relationships became better, more meaningful.
God the healer …
Of course I would like to say that it has been stumble-free since the moment I gave my life and heart to God, but that is not the case. God is constantly working and revealing sins in my life, some are obvious but others are harbored way down deep. I had created bitter roots and black spots in my heart. These sins cause me to stumble but with God’s love I am able to acknowledge the sin and ask for His forgiveness. I don’t sit and dwell like I used to, I change my thought pattern quicker, and I continue to let go of pride.