Week 4 • Wednesday

My Pride
by Hope Teeters

James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

“What is happening to me?” Waves of terror enveloped me and left my mind and body lifeless and exhausted. These attacks were becoming more frequent, and with each one I felt myself sinking deeper and deeper into depression.
It had been two years since my precious Trinity had arrived. She had been born with severe anomalies that only affect a handful of people across the entire world. We were so grateful to have her, considering the doctors had recommended terminating our pregnancy because they said she would be “incompatible with life.” Thank the Lord they were wrong! We were seeking medical advice from the leading experts across the country; I had our nine therapies a week down to a science. Throw in a couple doctor appointments and I was good to go, or so I thought. I wanted to stay in control of the situation, keep myself ahead of the grief and stay positive for my family and myself.
All of this produced diagnosed anxiety attacks. They were, in my mind, an ugly embarrassment that I couldn’t control. I was helpless, but I didn’t want to ask for help. Jason and I prayed for understanding and mercy, but God desired something else. It wasn’t until I humbled myself and asked our small group from church to pray for me that God set me free. PRIDE, one of the “seven deadly sins,” was getting in the way of God’s healing. He wanted me to step out in faith, trusting Him, to confess to other Christians and ask for their prayers.

Prayer: Lord, help me this day to resist the temptation of pride and humble myself. Help me to eliminate the focus on myself, and rely on You and Your Word.