When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

Devotion

My life is currently a logistical nightmare. I’ll spare you the details, but the general gist is I have a lot of kids, a job in ministry, and a husband who during this season is traveling for his job more than he is not. The amount of time I spend doing mental gymnastics to ensure everyone is where they need to be AND has everything they need makes me a little crazy … and tired.

I know this is not a unique-to-me struggle. We all have our own combination of logistical challenges, such as, working multiple jobs, juggling medical appointments, serving in the community or church, caring for young children, or fill in the blank. 

I often find myself in conversations with other moms about the busyness of life and how we are managing it all. Typically the conversation takes a turn pointed at me with, “And you have four kids?! I don’t know how you do it.” I cycle through a variety of responses, depending on the condition of my heart at the moment, like “by God’s grace” to “with a lot of help.” Lately, the response that feels most accurate, albeit raw, is “I don’t.”

My kids are no strangers to being late to games, practices, or events. I miss deadlines at work (including writing this devotion), and don’t get me started on clothes mountain—the mocking pile of laundry that needs to be folded and feels like a permanent fixture on our master bedroom floor. Even on the rare occasion I get it right and remember all the things, it’s often with an ungrateful or prideful heart. There is no shortage of opportunities to be humbled and come to the end of ourselves in this life.

This spring in Women’s Bible Study, Taylor Rauschkolb walked us through the book of Acts where we were reminded of the extraordinary power of God that lives inside of each of us through his Spirit. Our lives in Christ are more than meets the eye when we live a life empowered by the Holy Spirit. Every failure, humiliation, or shortcoming is an invitation to call on the Spirit of God who lives inside all of us who believe.

The Spirit will remind us of our greater calling and purpose to serve God first, instead of serving ourselves or the unrealistic standards we put on ourselves. The Spirit will comfort us when we are discouraged, guide us back to what is important when we are off-track, and intercede on our behalf with our Father in Heaven. The Spirit will remind us of our value as God’s beloved children who don’t and can’t earn God’s grace that is freely given to us through Jesus.

Proverbs 11:2 states, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” When we aim to do anything apart from the Spirit to bring glory to ourselves or please others, we often fail or feel a sense of failure, but when we recognize our dependence on Jesus’s atoning sacrifice on the cross and the Spirit’s presence in our lives, our lives will be rooted and anchored.

PRAYER

Holy Spirit, remind us what is important. Grow our love for God and faith in Jesus. Amen.

Katie Mentzel
Pastor, Kids Elementary - OKC

Katie teaches 2nd-4th graders about Jesus, prepares curriculum and supplies for kids programming, and leads teams of volunteers who help the children of our church find and follow Jesus. She’s married to Erik, has four daughters, and enjoys cooking, laughing, and spending time outdoors!

Resources

• Listen to Acts teachings by Taylor Rauschkolb. 
• Watch Archaeology and the Bible series by Terry Feix. 
• Serve with Crossings Kids. 
• Give to the Voice of Hope Initiative. 

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