Too Big for Their Britches

My dad had a saying that originated from his generation. Any time a person became full of himself he would comment, "He is too big for his britches." Pride and arrogance have been running rampant since before Noah's Great Flood. Any time human beings think they know better than the Lord they become guilty of sinful pride. "Pride goes before the fall." (Proverbs 16:13) In Texas the phrase is, "He sits too tall in the saddle." It is the same idea. People fill up with self to the extent that they will do anything they believe to be best for themselves even if it means it is bad for others. Being too big for your britches isn't a good thing.

In view of the recent scandals involving the Federal Government this phrase seems to fit the mindset of those on the hot seat. If you have watched any of the testimony regarding the IRS Scandal those people demonstrated the phrase. They simply will not admit to doing anything wrong. They can't remember or they plead the fifth. They don't appear to know who directed the agency to target conservative groups like the Tea Party. But I suspect underneath this evasion lies sinful pride. They have become too big for their britches.

As government grows and increases in size and scope the agencies and institutions who run it so does the tendency to become too big for it's britches. This observation makes sense because of the human heart. The hunger for power is fed by pride. Controlling more and more of people's lives feeds the human ego. I once met a bureaucrat who proudly proclaimed to be a fourth generation Washington D.C. citizen. No doubt his family worked in the giant bureaucracy during these years. But you could hear the pride in his voice.

We must be careful about becoming too big for our britches. Christians can become full of spiritual pride to the detriment of their faith. This type of pride grows into a sense of entitlement. Since we do so many good things for the Lord pride takes over and we begin to think, "God owes me!" But He doesn't owe us anything! We owe Him everything! This is why Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:3) In order to live faithfully before God one has to submit self through the attitude of humility and dependency.

I really believe those leading the government would benefit from drinking out of the spiritual cup of humility. That way they would not become too big for their britches. The fact of the matter is that power often corrupts those who seek it. The old quote rings true. "Absolute power corrupts absolutely." At the heart of the issue is sinful pride. Any politician who becomes too big for his/her britches will lead us in the wrong way! If you doubt me just read history.

Facts Are Facts

Facts can be troublesome and thorny items in life. Often people do not want to ignore or overlook the facts. Like the old saying many people have their minds made up so don't confuse them with the facts. Today (Wednesday January 16th) President Obama is to announce 19 Executive Orders that are supposed to prevent mass killings like the one at Holly Hook, Connecticut. At the center of these orders is the old and tired measures of more gun control. Why do so many people blame the weapon of choice rather than the deranged person? With all of the calls for tighter controls on guns there are a few facts that might enlighten our minds and contribute to meaningful discussion on the how to best protect our children at school.

In 2011 deaths were tallied as follows:

 * 323 by "assault rifles"

 * 496 by hammers

 * 650 by knives

 * 12,000 by drunk drivers

 * 195, 000 by medical malpractice

Based upon the logic for more gun control shouldn't there be controls on hammers and knives? What are the solutions to drunk drivers and medical malpractice? Do we ban cars? No one would ever suggest banning doctors! That doesn't make any sense! But the same logic applies to the reasoning behind stricter gun control.

I wonder how many Americans know the difference between an "assault rifle" and automatic rifles? While the semi-automatic rifle is rapid fire it cannot keep with the automatic variety. They have been banned since 1937. My understanding is a person can try to acquire an automatic weapon but the background check and waiting period make it much more difficult to obtain.

People see the semi-automatic and think that is what the police and military use. But that is not the case! They are simply designed to look like the guns used by those who protect us. People need to do their homework.

The truth remains it is very difficult to stop all mass killings. Timothy McVeigh used a homemade bomb including fertilizer to kill 168 people in Oklahoma City. Do we ban fertilizer? When we stop and think about what the sources and causes are that lead people to commit such heinous crimes the solutions are much more difficult to determine. What about the area of Mental Health? Why was the shooter in Connecticut not in a mental institution? His mother had attempted to have him committed but was unable? Why?

Interestingly, the stricter gun laws being proposed would not have stopped him! Hasn't anyone thought about that? Connecticut has some of the toughest gun restrictions on the books but that didn't prevent this deranged man from doing the unthinkable.

Let's be sure we know the facts.