Do you miss out on blessing when your heart is full of stubbornness? Karlton explains.
“So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.” (Psalm 81:12)
When I was in the first grade in school I would read from a book about a dog named “Tip.” I read the book aloud as my teacher sat beside me. One day I came to a sentence in the book that made no sense to me. It was a passage that mentioned the dog “Tip” was a “girl” dog, and this rocked my world because I had always believed the dog to be a “boy” dog.
When I refused to read the passage about Tip being a girl dog, my teacher had other teachers, and even the principal of the school explain to me the correct gender of the dog, but I wasn’t having it. Every time we came to a passage in that book about Tip being a girl dog–I refused to read it.
Have you ever been so stubborn that you were unteachable? I have come to understand that with my illnesses and chronic afflictions I cannot afford to be stubborn. I must adjust, adapt, and conform to the reality that my illness presents. And this is something we all must do as our illnesses grow worse, new symptoms arise, and new medications are needed.
It is a virtue to be willing to adjust to the changing situations with our illnesses. How useless it is to refuse treatment, deny reality, and push away help when it is offered. Our pride and stubbornness may seem right to us, but when such gets in the way of help and treatment we badly need, that is no virtue.
When a helping hand is offered, do not turn away from it. When some new treatment may offer improvement, do not be quick to say “no.” Be teachable, be wise, and do not be stubborn.
Prayer: Dear Lord, give us wise, teachable hearts, and help us not to be stubborn. Amen.
About the Author:
Karlton Douglas lives in Ohio with his lovely wife. He reminds himself continually that stubbornness is not a virtue.
Has your pride and stubbornness gotten in the way of the help you needed with your illness? Have you allowed yourself to be teachable when it comes to your affliction?
Have you ever been so busy asking God to tell you what His will is for your life, you’ve missed out on His answer? This is one of those tear-jerker videos but very touching. Martina McBride sings “God’s Will” and the “will” part of it just may surprise you. Love this video! -Lisa
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