Be careful that you don't fall

The end of another school year is almost here and that brings a guarantee of a few things:
1. Teachers are more excited about summer than the students.
2. My students at the high school know that #1 is true, so they try to get me to stop assigning homework and projects by getting me to talk about things I am passionate about.
3. The heavy workload I have at this time of year to get papers graded and projects assessed is never surprising, but I have a tendency to fall into a trap of letting it completely stress me out.

The last two weeks have been very stressful for me and I have not handled it well. Prior to this stressful time, things were going great. I was consistently reading the Word daily, spending quality time with Christy and the kids, making time to read and listen to challenging Biblical teachings, and then it happened. I got complacent at work and at home. I began to get a bit too comfortable and confident that I had things under control, and I began to do it under my own power instead of recognizing my need for strength to come from the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 10:12 says “So if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall.” I didn’t recognize what was happening until it was too late. I was then so far behind at school with grading that I didn’t know where to begin. I brought this stress home with me and I became an ineffective spiritual leader for my family. I became irritable, distant, and felt completely powerless and depressed. I was going through the motions in my daily quiet time with God and with my family. I was investing my time and energy into being stressed out instead of turning immediately to God and His Word to comfort and guide me.
My sins of pride and self-sufficiency had caused me to fall and I didn’t even see it coming. This was a good reminder for me that I must always be watchful for the enemy who wants to distract or trip me and that I need to be more prayerful about my pride and selfishness.
I praise God for HIs Spirit who convicts me of my sin and chastens me back to the narrow path that Christ mentions in Matthew 7:13-14. He is so good yet I so easily give in to my sinful nature of doing things my own way. I am so undeserving of His love, but He disciplines me “because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in” (Proverbs 3:12).