The pride of life

I know a family in which there were three children. One of them was a shining star academically and the other two were not.

Then these children had children of their own, and the one who was a shining star gave birth to average kids while one of the two who were average birthed a child who shone in school and became the first medical doctor of the clan.

As I observed this I was edified. I learned that one cannot always find out what blessedness or good fortune is because you will have one person who seems to be fortunate but has children who are not and another who will seem not to be blessed but his children are. This fact of life renders all pride a vanity.

"For all that is in the world---the desires of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and pride in possessions---is not from the Father but is from the world" (1 John 2:16).

Jesus said the man who grabs the seat of honor at a banquet had better be careful lest he be tapped on the shoulder and asked to move down a few seats to make room for someone more important (Luke 14:7-14). But if we keep a humble and sober view all the time, we can spare ourselves humiliation.

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