Recently, I was off shooting hoops one afternoon after committing a deadly sin (gluttony) at a company meal when God threw a bit of humor in with a dose of reality. While I was by myself on the court, I threw a few beautiful shots - NOTHING BUT AIR. Yep. Missed the hoop by a mile. I thought to myself "Hope no one saw that", and then turned around to see if anyone was watching. That was when the Lord immersed me in my own sensual pride and gave me a dose of humility. I stood there staring at the ground, shaking my head in disbelief, while the sound of the ball bouncing off the tarmac was pounding into my head with each diminishing bounce. Thud, thud, thud...
The fact is that I was fighting pride... <gulp>. Yes, Pride.
It felt like that scene from "A Christmas Story" where everyone was staring at and laughing at Ralphie.
This realization comes to show that there are many forms of the seven deadly sins. I typically run through my examination of conscience time justifying why the stereotypical deadly sins don't apply to me. Yet the fact is that forms of these sins are there, and we hide it from ourselves. If we mask it, then a serious fall is likely ahead.
The funny thing is that after I stopped worrying about what others may be thinking, or how the world would end if everyone knew that I shot a few air balls, I became more confident. As I started shooting again, each toss wasn't with some hesitation or worry. I made more baskets with a new found confidence. This has since translated into all other areas of my life, both spiritual, work related and beyond.
I thank the Lord for this odd dose of humility and hope that he continues to show me where I need work each day. I just pray that I don't get caught shooting another air ball while someone is watching =).
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