OVERCONFIDENCE – DEVOTIONAL
Howdy Friends! Grandpop sat under the barn eve, out of the sun. He wore a look of expectant fun. “Ya did all the groundwork that sassy mare could benefit from, have ya?” Grandpop chuckled knowing the response he’d get from the boy.
“I’m ready.” The boy led the energetic mare into the corral. “I can handle whatever she got! And more!”
Grandpop thought about telling the boy that’s not really the way things work, or how the boy should be looking at this from a different angle. Like maybe from the horse’s perspective. But he figured it would be more fun this way. “Gonna show her all ya know, are ya?”
“That’s right!” The boy shot back.
“Might be a short lesson.” Grandpop didn’t try to hold back his chortle.
“You just watch!” The boy swung up in the saddle while the mare danced.
The mare stepped off, straight and true. Looking every bit the willing partner. “See what I told you!” The boy bragged, wearing an ear to ear grin. “I told you I had this covered. I taught her just right! I know what I’m doing.”
The mare continued to respond with softness to every cue the boy gave. “I guess you aren’t the only wrangler on this outfit, old man.” The boy stood tall in the stirrups, waved his hat and let go a “Yee Haw!”
At this point in the story I suppose it would be a good time to mention it had rained all night and the corral was a blend of day old horse manure, brown water, and thick mud. Stirred up considerably by the mare’s dance, even though up to now that dance had been orderly. But for some reason that mare took a dim view of the ‘Yee Hawing’ and hat waving. And she changed dance steps, just like that! In one stride!
The boy was still standing in the stirrups, waving his hat, and about to let go another “Yee Haw” when the mare introduced the boy to what Grandpop would later call, “The fastest right hand spin and buck I’d ever seen!” And the boy landed face down in one of those soggy piles of day old manure.
“At least yer landin’ was soft!” Grandpop couldn’t hold his applause. “That was a magnificent flyin’ dismount. Maybe ya can run through it one more time. For the mare. She may not have got that spin mastered as well as you thought you’d taught her.”
The boy sat up, wiped his face. “Were did that come from?”
Grandpop had a lot more rubbing in he wanted to turn loose, but held back. For the boy’s sake. There was always supper time to tease him plenty. And he would. For now he left it with, “Funny thing happens ta all of us when we get cocky and overconfident. God’ll give us a hint we got too big for our britches. I think He even says pride brings a fall.” Then Grandpop added, “And a glorious fall it was!”
“Did He have to do it in all this mud?” The boy complained.
“I reckon you picked the time and place.” Grandpop caught the mare and offered the boy a hand up.
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Bible Verse – Proverbs 16:18 – Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
Bible Verse – Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Bible Verse – 1 John 2:1 – My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Bible Verse – Daniel 4:30–33 – 30 and the king answered and said, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” 31 While the words were still in the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, “O King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: The kingdom has departed from you, 32 and you shall be driven from among men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field. And you shall be made to eat grass like an ox, and seven periods of time shall pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will.” 33 Immediately the word was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven from among men and ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven till his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers, and his nails were like birds’ claws.
Bible Verse – Matthew 26:33-34 – But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.” Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you that this very night, before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”
Bible Verse – Revelation 3:17 – Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,
