In the spring of 2021, I was an annoying 6th grader who was convinced that nothing could touch me. What could? I was in control of my life. And nothing bothered me. I was in control of the way my life went. My overall mood was "I'm good" and "I'm the only person who matters." As the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar stated, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30) But even a king like Nebuchadnezzar was finally humbled and so was I.

I was ready for another day of school, but this was different. I was grumbling more than usual because I had switched school cohorts from B to A. If I had started the year in Cohort A which was considered the smarter cohort with better kids, it would probably have improved my grades. But in my mind, that meant they must be a more boring class. As I was grumbling, my dad was waiting downstairs to walk me to the end of the road. As we were walking, my dad saw one of our neighbors outside. So my dad and I crossed the road to say hi. Soon, the bus came.

As I stepped out on the road to enter the bus, I heard, "Anita, Stop!" Just then, a car sped by me, barely missing me. I was so scared I nearly cried as I climbed onto the bus. The driver asked if I was OK. I very silently nodded and sat down. It was then that I realized I might not be in control of everything and that something or someone was keeping me alive. And it wasn't me. At first, I was like, "No way," but soon I  realized that every day someone is waking up and saying, "Not today" thinking that they are the only ones in control of their destiny.

God had to do it with Nebuchadnezzar. “Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. He was driven away from people and ate grass like the ox. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird” (Daniel 4:33). After being punished for his vanity by having to live as a wild animal, he finally realized,  "At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are. And for those who walk in pride, he can humble” (Daniel 4:36-37).

Now I’m not trying to convert you to Christianity. The point of this text is to humble you. To prove to you there is something bigger. To prove you didn’t do this on your own. Someone was with you, somebody made it possible for you to be here. I encourage you to find out who it was, whether it's spiritual or not. But as for me? I exalt and glorify the King of Heaven.

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