Growing up, I knew my dad was proud of me. Dance recitals, school awards ceremonies, you name it– my dad was either out in the audience or waiting in the wings with tears in his eyes. But nothing was more sure to make my dad well up more than seeing me or my brother do something in the church. Getting baptized? Leading worship? Forget it; he was sure to be a puddle wherever he was standing.

And there are some moments in life where pride is permissible: when it swells in you because of an achievement, or because of a close relationship. Feeling a deep satisfaction at a success or at watching someone you love excel at what they love is a positive thing. It’s one of life’s joys. 

Look, no one likes to fail. And as a self-proclaimed overachiever and perfectionist, I super-duper HATE failing. Just this past week, I had a really, really big and difficult licensing test. It was something I have been studying for over the past 9 weeks. So last Tuesday, while everyone was opening their Soul Deep devotion and sipping on their morning coffee, I was sitting in a small cubicle, laboring over 150 multiple choice questions.

All of us have great strengths that God has given us or is going to give us. They are the things that make us who we are and give us the power to be Jesus’ hands and feet on this earth. For Sampson in this story, his gift was his strength was empowered by God with one stipulation– he was never to cut his hair. As we see here, he falls into the trap of is own sinful nature leading him to be betrayed by Delilah resulting in him losing his hair, his strength, and the Lord.