This morning I woke up as usual at 5:30 a.m. Since I have a day off, there was no rush to get ready for work.

I made kiribath, a traditional meal—brown rice cooked with coconut milk and salt to taste. It can be eaten with fish or meat curry, katta sambol, or seeni sambol.

After that, I read Galatians 4. There is so much to learn from that chapter. Then I turned to my daily reading, which today was Luke 6:1–5.

In this passage, the disciples of Jesus were eating grain on the Sabbath. The Pharisees saw this and condemned them. But Jesus explained it using the story of King David and said, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

I reflected on this. We who know God—who have experienced His love and mercy—are often quick to judge those who fall outside social norms and worldly laws. By doing so, we reject what Jesus came to do. He brought forgiveness into our lives. He showed mercy to us. He accepted us as His children. Who, then, are we to look down on others we think are in the wrong?

We must learn to be simple. Ego and pride have no place in the Kingdom of God, yet we still try to carry those stinking things in our lives.

After experiencing much hardship, I now see clearly how proud I once was. Even though my present situation is difficult, I thank God for delivering me from those sinful ways. Not that I am completely free—Jesus has freed me, yet as Galatians 4 reminds me, I must get rid of the “slave woman” mentality within me. Total surrender to God is the only way.

Heavenly Father, I kneel before You this morning. First, I thank You for delivering me. Second, I thank You for helping me recognize how sinful I can be without You.