“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18 BSB)
“Take care lest you forget the LORD your God…lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them…and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God…beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth…” (Deuteronomy 8:11-18 ESV abbreviated)
“A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.” (Proverbs 18:16 NKJV)
The year is 1980-81.
The place is Jackson Community College.
The setting is the 1980 Collegiate National Debate Tournament.
So there I was living in Putnam Hall (Freshman dorms at Eastern Michigan University) in 1978. This was the year of the popular movie “Animal House” which centered on the crazy party life of the American University. I hate to admit it, but I was living that movie, complete with toga parties and excessive alcohol. Because I was blessed with an aptitude for education I was able to party all night and still pull good grades. However, not good enough to achieve the 3.5 grade point average required for me to maintain my scholarship. At the end of my freshman year I had a 3.25 GPA and lost my President’s Award. Bye Bye EMU.
Not sure what to do next, I took about a year off from school. I wasn’t getting anywhere so I decided to enroll at Jackson Community College (JCC). My success in debate while in High School landed me a full scholarship for 2 years at JCC. Once again the Lord blessed my efforts and I was able to achieve success on the collegiate debate circuit. With my team I participated in a number of tournaments and earned a top 3 speaker award in every tournament (including a number of first place finishes). I had the honor of being recognized as the first place speaker in the Michigan Intercollegiate Speech League. The year culminated with a second place finish at the 1980 National Collegiate Debate Tournament.
I was living the dream, however once again I was in for a rude awakening. While I was tearing it up in the debate world I was not attending my other classes. The end result was another lost scholarship. I didn’t go back for the second year. My pride, and obvious lack of a work ethic, once again brought destruction into my young life. Bye Bye JCC.
Just like Scripture proclaims, my gifts made a way for me. When I worked hard I experienced success. As I partnered with the Lord and added His blessing to my efforts, I went far. But in the same way, the Scripture warnings about pride and laziness brought the walls of success crashing down. “Glory Days” without the Lord never last long.