David’s son, Absolom, had beautiful hair.  We read in 2 Samuel that it was heavy and long and gorgeous.  He cut it once a year, then weighed it so everyone would know how thick and awesome it was.

I wonder how often Absolom stopped to look in the mirror to admire his hair?  (Did they have mirrors back then?  Maybe shiny pieces of metal that reflected back their image?  Or maybe the guys looked into their swords?)

If he made this big deal about his yearly hair cutting, I would image that he was extremely proud of his hair, don’t you?  I’m sure it was a constant source of compliments for him.

And then we read in 2 Samuel 18 that Absolom was riding his donkey under a tree in the midst of battle when his hair got caught in the tree.  He was pulled from his donkey and was left hanging in midair by his hair while his donkey just kept on going.  While Absolom was dangling there, unable to defend himself, Joab plunged his sword into his heart and killed him.

Only really thick hair would be able to do that, right?  If Absolom had thin hair or even regular hair, this wouldn’t have happened to him.

The thing he was so very proud of became a snare that caused his death.

So the question to you and I today is – what is the thing in our lives that we are most proud of?  Do we need an attitude adjustment before we find ourselves in a snare?

Are we already caught in a snare?

Dear Father, we are so blessed to have you in our lives lavishing us with your mercy and your love.  We confess our pridefulness.  Please help us be most proud of you and what you have done for us.