July 3, 2026

A Hard Head

Proverbs 3:5 – “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

The doctor laid it out plainly. The numbers were not good, the habits needed to change, and the path forward required some things that were not going to be comfortable or convenient. It was all there in black and white, delivered with the kind of directness that leaves very little room for misinterpretation. The friend sitting across from that doctor heard every word. He just did not agree with them.

It was not that he thought the doctor was lying. He simply felt that his own read on the situation was just as valid. He had been living in that body for decades, after all. He knew how he felt. The doctor only had test results and charts and years of medical training. What did that really tell you about a person? So he nodded politely, folded up the paperwork, and went home to continue doing exactly what he had been doing.

A few months later he was in the hospital.

Looking back, the frustrating part was not that the outcome was unpredictable. It was entirely predictable. The doctor had essentially described what would happen if the recommendations were ignored, and it happened on schedule. The information was accurate. The warning was clear. The choice to disregard it was the only variable that mattered.

We do the same thing with God more often than most of us would like to admit. His instruction does not always align with what we want to do or what we believe makes sense for our lives. But disagreement is not the same as being right. Jonah disagreed with his assignment entirely and ended up somewhere far worse than a hospital before he came around.

A hard head, they say, makes for a soft behind. God’s counsel stands whether we receive it or not.

Today’s Prayer: Lord, forgive me for the times I have heard Your voice clearly and chosen my own way instead. Soften my heart to receive what You are saying, even when it challenges what I think I know. Amen.

Reflection Question: Is there an area of your life where you already know what God is saying but have been choosing not to act on it?