My Pride....

As I watched people on TV crying and yelling "Amen" while President Obama was giving his speech it gave me the strange feeling like I was watching people worship at church. It annoyed me for a second and I had to catch myself wanting to get upset and think..."That is so wrong, I am so glad I know this is just a man and not God....Good thing I have such a good head on my shoulders"! Then it hit me that there is no way I could ever understand how it feels to be an African American right now. For my entire life I have always know politics as something consisting of a lot of white guys and thats what I'm used to. As I was watching the inauguration I realized that I am most comfortable when a conservative type guy is the president and when the people in the crowd look and act like me. I realized that I am much more comfortable with President Bush & Laura and can easily trust and understand their lifestyle and values.

It helped me realize that millions of people in the world can't even stretch their imagination to understand the conservative white mind set and that President Bush and his family (and 43 preceding presidents) seemed just as foreign to them as some of the Obama supporters seem to me. I don't feel bad saying these things because that is just human nature. I think if most of us are honest with ourselves we would admit that we are most comfortable when we are with people that are like us. Whether it be because of race, hobbies or social class we just get along with those similar to us. I'm glad I had this realization because I don't ever want to become a person that is incapable of looking outside of "my" world and accepting and acknowledging the fact that my little world and comforts are not the same as a lot of other people. To Jesus we are all his children and all he cares about is whether or not we love him & show his love to others. White people, black people and every other color in between love Jesus and white, black and every color in between hate Jesus and bring evil into our world.

This post is really not intended to make any kind of political point, b/c I am not informed enough about real political issues to even comment on them and give my opinion. This is more to share how God worked in my heart tonight & gave me some what of a warning that I may be more prideful than I think. Pride is something that we are seriously warned about in the bible and I want to be as far far far away from it as I possibly can. I really think Pride is something plaguing the earth and is totally brought on by Satan.....and I never want to give him any type of hold on my life in this way! It is way too easy to think..."I am better" or "Too bad they aren't as smart as me" or "Too bad they don't know how to be a Christian"! I think Satan knows how easy it is for us to slip into this prideful attitude and it gives him waaaay to easy of a time twisting our minds to not even realize how prideful we can actually be at times. I am not meaning to speak for anyone but myself....however I am going take a much more active and prayerful approach to this part of my life!

Here are somethings I came across tonight: He's not joking around!

The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 16:5

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.
Proverbs 16: 18-19