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PROGRAM D-7915
Proverbs 16:20 tells us, “Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.” Fran has learned again the difficult lesson of not overreacting. She was willing to listen to the Lord’s instruction, even though it took her awhile and, therefore, she will prosper, as Solomon wrote.
If you think back, you can see why Fran overreacted to her client’s remarks. He challenged her in the one area where Fran felt she excelled—her attention to details and her competence at doing her job. You see, Fran has done very well in her company because of these good qualities and, subtly, without realizing it, she had started to take some pride in herself for her achievements.
Pride is such a deceitful snare. It sneaks up on you while you’re not looking. The very gifts God gives us can become points of pride in our lives when we begin to think we’ve done something ourselves. This somewhat painful meeting Fran had with her client—where he informed her he wasn’t satisfied with the latest proposal she made—punctured that pride and the poison came oozing out.
But, as humbling as it was, it was a very good lesson because Fran was able to see it for herself and recognize her pride before it got too far out of hand. Pride does indeed precede downfalls but, as downfalls go, this was a rather mild one. Yet it offered Fran an opportunity to learn a valuable lesson.
Not only did she have to face the pride that was there, but she again saw her tendency to overreact. Before she prayed about it or sought anyone’s advice, she allowed herself to become very angry at her client’s comments and accuse him of being unprofessional. A good rule of thumb is to make yourself pray about a painful or upsetting situation before you talk to anyone else about it. Had she done that—slept on it, so to speak—she could have saved herself some embarrassment. I know how she feels, for I’ve been there and done that.
Maybe you, too, need to learn to control your reactions. If you find yourself speaking hastily when you’re upset, start praying that God will help you not to overreact. Frankly, I’ve been praying for that for myself for years and, though I’m not there yet, I’ve made some progress in the right direction.
I hope this lesson in story form has reached your heart and that you’ve had ears to hear so that you too can prosper because you give heed to instruction.