Attitude Adjustment

Attitude Adjustment

Hagar

Read: Genesis 16:7-16

Once again, the new supervisor was the topic of conversation at break time.

“Ever since she got promoted, she barely speaks to me.”

“Yeah, she thinks she’s too good to associate with us now—you should have seen how she turned up her nose when I asked her about being on the bowling team this year.”

“What she forgets is that she needs us—if we don’t do our jobs, then she doesn’t look good with her boss.”

“Hmmm, anybody got any ideas?”

When Sarai had Abram sleep with her Egyptian servant, Hagar was elevated to the position of secondary wife. At first, Hagar probably felt honored and grateful for her unexpected change in status, but she soon became arrogant. After Hagar became pregnant, she treated Sarai with contempt. Hagar rubbed it in that she could do something that her mistress could not do—bear Abram’s child.

Sarai responded to Hagar’s insolence by mistreating her. Rather than admit her fault and apologize, Hagar ran away. The angel of the Lord came to Hagar in the wilderness and told her that she would have a son and more descendants than she could count. He also instructed her to return and submit to Sarai’s authority. Hagar returned home with a new attitude and a new name for God—“the God who sees me.”

It’s easy to be humble when we’re surprised with an honor, whether it’s an award, a promotion, or just verbal praise. But as time goes by, we may start thinking that we deserve even more. We may begin treating others with contempt or develop a rebellious attitude toward authority. God sees our thoughts as well as our actions. He knows when we are headed for a fall, and he recommends an attitude adjustment. Hopefully, we won’t wait until we’re in a wilderness caused by our own arrogance.

Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18