I was holding the instructions in my hands, but I had no intention of using them.  Who needed instructions, after all this was a do it yourself project and what part of “do it yourself” included instructions?  Casting the instructions aside, I began to build the bookshelf on my own.  It felt great!  I had the screw driver in one hand and in the other hand I was clutching one of the corners of the would be shelf, yet I couldn’t make heads or tails of it.   So I did what I thought any great carpenter or construction worker would do…I guessed.  Finally when I had put everything together, when all of the dove tailed ends were roughly fastened together with my best guess of the appropriate screws and fasteners,  I stepped back from my project and looked at it.  As I appraised my handiwork and my supposed craftsman skills I quickly realized in many of the steps of construct, I had made several mistakes.   One of the main corner pieces was backwards and the unfinished side was exposed.  Another corner had been added to a slightly shorter wood panel piece and the entire bookshelf was skewed awkwardly leaning to one side.  What started out as a simple do it yourself project became a humbling lesson and the realization that I was not as skilled as I had first imagined.  I was completely in over my head without the instruction manual.  I thought I knew what I was doing, but when faced with my finished mess of a product, I had to come to terms with the realization that I wasn’t as talented as I thought I was.  And to add insult to injury I had so many leftover bits and pieces unused still in the packaging.  I knew that my “go it alone” plan had failed…it had failed miserably!

That’s what pride and self-confidence does to us in this life…leaves us with shabby, poorly constructed and down right  embarrassing projects.  And when we look over at what is left, bits and pieces, vital to the actual construction, remain untouched.  They say pride comes before the fall and I would like to add that pride also comes before reading the instruction manual!

Am I the only one who has done this?  Come on…be honest.  Sometimes picking up the instruction manual feels tedious, unnecessary and time consuming, not to mention that it can be difficult to find the side that is in our language.  But the truth of the matter is that without the instructions, most, if not all of us will undoubtedly create a piece of furniture that possibly will be unusable, unsuitable for anything and we will be forced to take it apart and start all over.

There is a very real spiritual application to this story.  Dare I say that sometimes each of us has looked at God’s Word, our instruction booklet or guide to godly living, and thought, “I don’t need it, I already know what the instructions will say and I can do this project called life by myself.”  This is a dangerous assertion.  We proclaim that we don’t need any kind of help or guidance, and then we try it on our own and find that we have constructed a mess of things.  I do not think it an accident that the first recorded message of Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount, begins with “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)  In other words – be humble and you will not only be able to receive God’s instructions, but you will be able to apply it in life and be a part of God’s kingdom. Pride can blind us to this fact.  Self-assurance and self-reliance are okay up to a certain point, but they can only take us to the foot of the cross and cause us to realize that our knowledge, understanding and wisdom are not enough.  This realization isn’t about humiliating us or causing us to feel inferior, but rather puts our lives into perspective of the greater most excellent ways of God.  When we begin to understand God desires full access to our lives and to our hopes and dreams, only then will we begin to see the big picture.  Only then will we begin to live for Him and for others instead of only for ourselves.

When you step back from the project that is your lives what do you see?  Are there still exposed, unfinished pieces that need correcting?  Are there still bits and pieces left over in the packaging, untouched and unused?  He wants to help us, He wants to create a master piece in us, but this transformation cannot begin unless we take a look at His guiding words and apply His love and wisdom to our life’s construction.  Don’t let pride and self-reliance rule you!  Don’t limit life’s construction by limiting the instructions to your own understanding and knowledge.  “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!” –Jesus.