Pride Comes Before A ...

As a new-ish independent home owner, I've had many instances where I've tackled projects and succeeded in accomplishing them on my own.  Each time there is a sense of empowerment that comes into play.  I find it very easy to take pride in my abilities but I'm also recognizing that there is a line where confidence in one's own abilities ends up reflected in pride or arrogance.  As much as I hate to admit it, I spend quite a bit of time balancing on that line.

Over the last few months, my dad and I have been working on building a new desk for my office.  Its a customized take on the Pottery Barn Bedford Project Table (http://www.potterybarn.com/products/bedford-project-table-set/).  Pier 1 had a similar desk that I posted on my office cork board as a "dream" desk but it was $900 so it was very much a pipe dream.  I was at a friend's house a few months later and I discovered that he'd built the very same desk customized for his family's needs.  From there the wheels started turning in my head and here we are.  Anyway, I purchased the materials for the desk in February, starting the process.  A few weeks later, we cut the components at my dad's and I took the parts home to edge, sand, and paint, thinking I'd be done by the end of the month.  Yeah right!  Not only have I edged, sanded, and painted, I've also routered, re-painted, poly'd, added brackets, assembled, re-configured (due to a significant size miscalculation), re-assembled, and there's still so much more to do.  Add to that unpleasant mix, two very busy people and what seemed a weekend project has turned into a 3 month time investment (probably 6 at the rate we're going).

Another project I've taken on recently has been a spring tune-up on my lawn mower.  I successfully tackled changing the oil, the air filter, and installing an alternate blade so the other could be sharpened.  All good things must come to an end though.  When I mowed my lawn the first time, something happened and the gears on the rear tires stopped turning.  I was too far in to not finish mowing the lawn.  Have you ever mowed a lawn with a mower who's tires refuse to turn??  Lets call it P90X lawn mowing.  Definitely not an experience I planned to repeat.  After a little online research, I had a couple of ideas on what was causing the issue and how to fix it.  Monday night I took things apart and discovered a stick wedged between the belt and track.  With a little elbow grease and grease up to my elbows, I was able to work the stick out and place the belt back in the track.  Last night I took the mower out for its maiden voyage - post repairs.  And the belt snapped just after I made my first outline of my property.  Outstanding!!

As I've struggled through both "sagas", I've been humbled in coming to terms with my own inabilities.  For starters, I am not a contractor or a mechanic.  I am a perfectionist.  I am concerned with appearances.  I am impatient.  I have a temper.  I am selfish.  I am pushy.  You see how much uglier it got as I made my list?  Yeah, me too...

How fortunate I am to serve a Savior who knew my imperfections when he chose to come to this earth to die for the sin of man.  "So then, shall I continue sinning?"  Certainly not!  I can, however, rest in the knowledge that he's covered my sin and also gave the Holy Spirit to help me conquer the temptation to dwell in my inability.  I am honestly no humbler or wiser through my current struggles and I am guaranteed to struggle and fail more in the future but its a relief to know its covered and he loves me anyway.

That's all for now.  I've gotta make a run for a new lawn mower belt.  Be blessed.