Always Right

October 15, 2019

Your pride has deceived you. Your capital is a fortress of solid rock; your home is high in the mountains, and so you say to yourself, “Who can ever pull me down?” Obadiah 1:3

A new show I enjoy is “The Masked Singer.” In its second season, it features celebrities in elaborate costumes performing for an enthusiastic crowd and other celebrities as judges. The contestants’ voices are disguised except when they are singing, and clues are given to help consider their identities. The object of the game is two-fold: to give the best performance possible and to maintain the secret of your identity.

One of the first contestants to be unmasked this season was Laila Ali, the late Muhammed Ali’s daughter. She is a former professional boxer and competed from 1999-2007. When she was defeated in the competition, she handled herself with poise and good humor, but her disappointment was palpable. The announcer pointed out a significant fact: She was undefeated as a boxer, and in every professional competition in which she was a participant she had come out on top. So this was disappointing because it was her first loss. This was the first time someone else had brought her down.

The problem for Laila is that she was competing in a new league. As a boxer, she was great, but now she was a boxer competing in a league with people accomplished in a field where she was very limited. That’s you and me when we are too proud to consider God. As the book and musical title say, Your Arm is too Short to Box with God.

Maybe you know someone with so much confidence in themselves that they really can’t conceive of losing. Perhaps it’s you. Perhaps your track record has been so strong that you think you will always land on your feet. It’s doubtful, but perhaps you really are smarter than anyone else you know. Perhaps your strengths are so significant that you see slight possibility that anyone will ever get the best of you. Even if that is so, you are in an entirely different league when you are relating with God. His might, power, and wisdom cannot be fathomed. He will ALWAYS be right. He is ALWAYS a force to be reckoned with. Before you become so sure of your life and direction that you forecast your own future, consider God.

• The strengths you have are wonderful. Where do you feel great confidence? That’s a good thing. God is pleased for you and with you. Every good thing is a gift from Him. Thank Him. Remember the source of your strength. Live with gratitude, live generously, and stay close to the Giver. Know that everyone experiences loss sometimes, and prepare with God to be generous in your losses and successes.