Confidence is great, arrogance not so much. There are people
that think they know all. Cockiness flows from them like sweat on a hot day.
There was a guy I used to play hockey with, we will call him Troy. Troy was a
guy who grew up playing hockey and thought he was going to be drafted and
destined for the NHL. He was a very good player, made me look like a fool a
couple of times in net. Every time we stepped on the ice, there was only one
speed, fast.
It didn’t matter if it was a pickup game or a playoff game,
he went all out. My brother Zach and I were playing drop in hockey and Troy was
playing like a jerk. In drop in there are people of all different skills yet
most people are laid back. Troy was not one of them. Zach and I were just
getting into ice hockey more that summer and this was about the fifth time Zach
ever played ice hockey. So early in the session Troy came up to Zach with the
puck did a sweet move and went right by him. It was a great move.
What Troy didn’t know was Zach was a little bit of a
natural, it never looked like he only skated five times. So a little later Zach
with natural ability did the same move to Troy and blew past. Troy was ticked
and tried to slash Zach all the way down the ice. A little bit of info, Zach
was 6-2ish 200 pounds, Troy was 5-9, 155-160 pounds. Zach didn’t put up with
crap though and after getting hooked all the way down the ice, he took him into
the boards. Needless to say, Zach laughed, Troy was ticked and as he tried to
get up to get in Zach’s face twisted his knee and fell to the ice. Troy then
hobbled to the bench. Zach didn’t want to be a complete jerk and went to the
bench to check on him. Troy responded, “Get out of my face before I blast you.”
Zach tried to be nice, but upon Troy being a jerk to him Zach said, “Man, this
is my fifth time playing ice hockey and I went by you like nothing, try harder
next time.”
We can all be nice or be jerks. Romans 12:3…
“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: do not
think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with
sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”
We live life the way we want. We can be humble, respecting
others or we can live like jerks. There is something about humble people that I
just love. People who don’t think of themselves as all powerful. Paul shares
with us the point of humbleness. We shouldn’t value ourselves above others.
When we look at what we do compared to what God has done we are a bug on a
windshield, we can’t compare.
Yet even in our small statue, we can still think highly of
ourselves. We are not called to be conceited or big-headed but rather modest
and simple.
What are ways you can be humble today? Who can you show that
you are respectful? Can you put yourself in their place and show more respect? There
is beauty in humbleness.
Have a great day.
