Written in Heaven

Awhile ago, I was sharing a meal with a mentor of mine. He has been extremely successful and I have learned so much from him about life and ministry both. As we were eating, I realized something, I was doing all the talking. I scheduled a meeting with this guy in order for him to enlighten me as to life and various other ‘grasshopper’ moments. However, there we sat. He was listening; I was talking.

The questions he was asking me were very perplexing to me later. He was asking me about church systems we were utilizing, how I stay fresh spiritually, what books I’ve been reading, etc. I initially thought he was doing this as a courtesy, but I recognized that he was doing it so he could learn something. After the conversation had ended, I thought to myself, ‘Why was he trying to learn something from me? I’m the one who needs to learn from him!”

What I recognized was key to this issue pride. This guy recognized that there is no point in life at which you ‘make it’ or ‘arrive.’ Even more than that, he recognized that there is always something you can learn from those around you, even if they aren’t as experienced or even as intelligent. What an example of humility!

I heard Rick Warren say once (paraphrasing) that all sin is rooted in pride. Because, sin is essentially us saying to God, “my way’s better than yours.” That phrase rocked me hard and still does. I recognize there are areas of my life in which I have a tendency to do things my own way rather than God’s.

What’s scary about this is that God shows over and over in the Bible that He can’t use a prideful heart. He never uses anyone who has pride in their heart and if they somehow develop that pride, He takes care of it swiftly.

I learned a lot from my mentor that day, even though I ended up doing most of the talking.