"We are made wise not by the recollection of our past, but by the responsibility for our future." - George Bernard Shaw
If you are a parent, this might be familiar: "Mommy, Daddy, can we get a puppy?" And, if you are smart, you responded with the following: "You know puppies are a lot of trouble. You would have to walk it at least three times a day and make sure it is fed. You would have to bathe it at least twice a week and brush it every day. You would also have to train it and take it outside to use the bathroom. And if it ever poo-poo’s or tee-tee’s in the house, it would be your responsibility to clean it up." Although the above lecture is normally used as a doggie deterrent, most children respond by saying, "I don’t care. I wouldn’t mind doing all that as long as I had a puppy!" So we break down and buy the puppy, and a month later we are stuck feeding, walking and cleaning up
after it. The exasperated child says, "I just didn’t know how much work it would be!"
It's amazing how many of us "think" we are ready for what we're asking God for. Israel demanded a king. Samuel attempted to warn them. Yet just like a child they replied, "We don’t care. We wouldn’t mind all that as long as we had a king."
The difficult thing about a heart of selfishness is that it is hard to detect. We think we are being reasonable, justified, or even optimistic, when in reality we are blinded by our own wants, not needs. In this state, 'wants' easily look like 'needs.' Who knows, you might not be ready for that thing: car, relationship, marriage, new job or that child you're praying for. You think you're ready, but are you REALLY ready?
Let us pray: Father, deliver me from selfishness, in Jesus name.
WISDOM NUGGET: Proverbs 14:12
"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." - KJV
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