"Humbled. Humbled."

I ran into this article today about wide receiver Steve Johnson's dropped pass in overtime against my Pittsburgh Steelers.

While I think it's pretty unreasonable to blame God for a dropped pass, the article makes a very interesting point:

It was a stark change for the Kentucky grad who had grabbed three touchdowns in his team's 49-31 win over Cincinnati last week.

But perhaps it was God punishing him for having too much pride in that game?

I don't agree with the statement, but it does get one thinking...

I don't believe God punishes us for having too much pride.
In fact, I don't believe God punishes us at all as long as we walk this earth.
Any "punishment" that we may experience is a result of our own actions made out of the free will that God grants us. Any punishment that we may merit is either washed in the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, or carried out upon our death (it's hot there). That's for God to decide when and how he chooses.

However, I do believe that God gives us the chance to be humble. And out of our own free will, we can choose to accept or decline the opportunity. We can decline even when we think we want to accept (this happens to me a lot) or accept even when we think we want to decline. Maybe that's what this wide receiver experienced. Regardless, his response was far from humble. When we're humbled, we should respond with thanks...Though realistically that may take some time. Hopefully with time he will come to praise God for this experience of humility, and learn to thank Him for the gifts and blessings that have made him so successful. That's what's so great about being humbled.

This brings to mind a prayer that I'm afraid to pray:

The Litany of Humility
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.

From the desire of being loved...
From the desire of being extolled ...
From the desire of being honored ...
From the desire of being praised ...
From the desire of being preferred to others...
From the desire of being consulted ...
From the desire of being approved ...
From the fear of being humiliated ...
From the fear of being despised...
From the fear of suffering rebukes ...
From the fear of being calumniated ...
From the fear of being forgotten ...
From the fear of being ridiculed ...
From the fear of being wronged ...
From the fear of being suspected ...

That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.

That others may be esteemed more than I ...
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease ...
That others may be chosen and I set aside ...
That others may be praised and I unnoticed ...
That others may be preferred to me in everything...
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…