"I" or "i"

   A postscript from yesterday: when I sent my blog to a friend, one who really knows photography, he sent me back this enhanced version of the picture I had used:

   Now you can really see the jewels in the foam, sand it causes the whole blog make more sense. Thanks, Duke.

   At Home Group the other night, I was talking to the group about the book, The Harbinger, that I mentioned in here the other day. I thought about that scenario again this morning as I read the Psalm passage, taken from Psalm 30:

"When things were going great
    I crowed, “I’ve got it made.
I’m God’s favorite.
    He made me king of the mountain.”
Then you looked the other way
    and I fell to pieces."

   The book talks about the nation of Israel and compares it to the state of the United States in the present moment. But a nation, any nation, is only the summation of all of its peoples. In our country, the leaders are elected by the people and supposedly they would reflect the attitudes of the population, at least the majority.

   One of the things God hates is pride. When a nation, or an individual, is full of an attitude of "see what I have done", or even "here is what I will do", God sees that capital I, or maybe the capitalized We, and is not pleased. God has given us His blessings and we take credit for them.

   The Psalm passage above talks about God looking the other way. In the book that would be the equivalent of His removing the hedge of protection around a people or nation. The result is not pretty.

   A nation, a church, an individual, all are subject to God's looking the other way.

   God, please help me to not take undue pride in what it looks like I accomplished. I know better. I see that jewel.

   Not "I" but "i".