Beware of The Rooftops
- Kevin Cohan, LPC
- 5 days ago
- 8 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
By Kevin Cohan
Imagine a world where everything is going great. All of your relationships are in a good place, the car works better than it ever has, and you have zero money problems. Maybe for the first time in your life, you actually start to relax a bit. You start to take your eye off the ball, give a few of your protective instincts the month off. Then some more time goes on and you forget how much hard work it took to get here, so you start to get soft. Your lantern grows dim, and you find yourself once again in the dark. When things are going bad it’s easy to assume that life can become worse, but how should we respond when things go from bad to good?
King David fought very hard to get to his rooftop. He wrestled bears and lions to protect his sheep, dodged an evil king, defeated armies, and slayed a giant. Then he became too comfortable. Safe behind the walls of his kingdom he let down his guard. You see, King David was supposed to be with his troops in battle before he ascended to his rooftop, but his spirit could find no rest. He woke up in the middle of the night so troubled that he had to get out of bed and go for a walk. Neglecting our responsibilities is the first step towards the rooftop. This could have been God’s gentle nudge for King David to come and pray to Him for help. Instead, he chose to look down rather than up.
We can either learn from the gentle nudge or the crisis!
King David looked down at a beautiful woman bathing. She happened to be another man’s wife named Bathsheba. After finding out that she was married, King David sent for her and they had relations. Poor decision-making led King David into crisis. Great loss came as a result of his decision to take a walk without God. People died (2 Samuel 11: 1-27). Sound familiar? Adam and Eve took a walk without God in the Garden of Eden and they came face to face with the devil.
Where we position ourselves on the board of life is of great importance. In his book, “Mere Christianity” C.S. Lewis writes, “A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you.”
King Nebuchadnezzar, who was the ruler of Babylon, was walking proudly on the roof of his royal palace when he started to reflect. This was his proud reflection, “Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?” Because of his immense pride, God caused him to be driven away from mankind. His mind abandoned all reason. He was forced to eat grass, his body was drenched in dew, had hair like eagle’s feathers, and nails like birds’ claws. Proverbs speak to this, “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before stumbling. It is better to be humble in spirit with the lowly than to divide the spoil with the proud” (Proverbs 16:18-19; Daniel 4:28-32, NASB).
The devil waited for Jesus to be at his lowest point before he began tempting him. Jesus had just fasted for forty days and forty nights and was very hungry. Where does the devil take Jesus? “The devil took him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me’” (Matthew 4:1-9). The reason why the devil gives us something and the reason God gives us something are completely different. The devil will always want to add to our pride with what he gives us, whereas God will always want to add to our humility.
The more prideful we are, the longer we have to Fall
This is why the Book of James says, “But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, ‘God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble’” (James 4:6). If God were to give grace to the proud, then it would enable them to be more prideful. Why would someone walking in pride change their behaviors if they were still receiving grace to do so? This is why it was the devil’s goal for Jesus, and is for us, to “fall down.” Again, just like in the Garden of Eden, the devil wanted us to fall into sin. God does not want us to fall, but to bow down and worship. There is a huge difference.
We fall as a result of our sin & pride.
We bow down to worship as a result of humility and a changed heart by God.
How does all of this relate to therapy? When things are good we need to stay at the ready.
Never leave the guard post of our minds. Once we start to neglect our responsibilities, like King David did, a rooftop gets constructed in our minds. The rooftop becomes our escape. When you are at the top, who do you really feel you need to be accountable to? God drove King Nebuchadnezzar away from mankind, but also from his pride. This was to prevent further self-harm. Even King Nebuchadnezzar himself realized this was for his good, “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways are just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride” (Daniel 4:37).
We have to be careful what we suffer for. If we suffer for things that come as a result of poor decision making (commonly an area that can be very self-focused), then this doesn’t get deposited into our eternal account. It’s only when we suffer for Christ’s sake that is of eternal significance. The Book of First Peter reminds us of this when it says, “Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name” (1 Peter 4:15-16).
A change in mindset is necessary to avoid suffering for the wrong things. It is a time where we start to think of a new approach to life.
Instead of going to the rooftop, wisdom can also tell us to stay right where we are, or even take a step back. The Apostle Paul offers humility as a neutralizer to pride. He reminds us to, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others (Philippians 2:3-4).
Let us end with this reflection:
Pride causes us to think only of ourselves and leads to self-harm.
Humility has our best interest in mind & takes others into consideration, which leads to self-care.
There are certain moments in the life of a ministry that carry a little more meaning, and this feels like one of them.
As we move through May, our hearts are full of gratitude at Peace Partnership. What is now taking shape before us would not be possible without the faithful generosity, prayers, encouragement, and support of those who continue to believe in this mission. Because of that support, we are now able to share more openly that we have secured additional space in our shopping center and that construction will begin June 1st. What was once unfolding quietly behind the scenes is now becoming something real, and we are deeply thankful for all that has brought us to this point.
Below, we are sharing our Spring Appeal letter, which reflects this meaningful next step and outlines our current goal of raising $50,000 to help hire a new counselor for our expanded space. More than anything, that goal means making room to move people from the waitlist into care, respond sooner when someone reaches out for help, and continue creating space for healing, hope, and support for those who need it most. As you read, we hope you will consider a gift toward our expansion campaign or toward helping us place an additional counselor in our new space.
Sporting Clay is just 2 weeks away...
and there is still time to be part of a great morning filled with fun, community, and purpose!
You will not want to miss the raffle prizes, swag bags, and catered hot breakfast, and there are still several ways to get involved:
• Register a team
• Volunteer at the event
• Become a sponsor
• Donate a raffle item
Registration is now open
for our 10th Annual Golf Classic, and we are excited to invite you to be part of this milestone year!
There are many ways to get involved, including sponsoring, registering a team, donating a raffle item, or volunteering to help.
As we celebrate our 10th year, we are hoping to make this our biggest and best event yet.
As we move through May, we are especially thankful for the steady support that continues to strengthen this mission.
Your monthly giving has helped make real care possible at Peace Partnership while also helping carry us into a new season of growth. The support being offered each day, the trust families place in this work, and the progress now unfolding are all tied to the people who continue to give so faithfully.
Thank you for standing with Peace Partnership month after month. Thank you for the generosity, encouragement, and trust that have helped bring us to this point. The growth ahead and the care being offered today are both possible because of the way you continue to invest in this mission.
Anonymous, Aaron Linn, Andre & Rose Fantasma, Apex Underground LLC, ARC General Contracting, LLC, Blue Springs Christian Church, Brandon & Vanessa Blanchard, Charles & Arletta McCrary, Children’s Services Fund of Jackson County, Church at Coffee Creek, Clayton Jones Attorney At Law LLC, Cornerstone Counseling & Consulting, Cyndi Eskina, Dan & Gigi Rippee, Dave & Rosie Bourland, Demi Raveill, Denise Israel, Dorsey Embrey, ECA, EPR Properties, Genesis Counseling, Greg & Jennifer Spears, Jackson County Missouri, Jason & Val Schram, Jeremiah 924 Foundation, Jenny Wrobleski, Joel & Ruthie Morris, John & Vicki Hefner, John Otradovec, Jondy & Heather Britton, Jon & Naomi Thompson, Lance & Mandi Pollard, Lee & Debbie Miller, Looney Lights LLC, Lydia Hurley, Mark & Cathy McGaughey, Mark McDonald, Matt & Kristy Newton, Michael & Julie Hirons, Mike & Carol Jackson, Mike & Jan McGraw, Mike & Tracy Pruitt, Phil & Jo Rydman, Rick & Kathy Daulton, Roger & Jennifer Madsen, Roger & Laura Neir, Rudy & Stacy Blahnik, Shelly Schuman, Stone Amp SEO, Stuart & Janis Thompson, Tamara Stroud, Willie & Adia Valdes, Zane & Melissa Morerod.
From every corner of this ministry, thank you. Your generosity is the reason we can keep showing up for kids, for families, and for healing that lasts.
Do you know a friend, church leader, or business owner who wants to make a lasting difference?
We would love to meet them, with a simple introduction, over coffee, or a tour of our office. It is a chance to share more about Peace Partnership, the heart behind what we do, and how generosity can bring healing, peace, and hope to our community.
If someone comes to mind, we would love to hear from you. Your connection could open the door for even more lives to be transformed.
Contact: Ashley Kirn
Director of Development
816.716.1847
Have you or someone you know been helped by Peace Partnership or Genesis Counseling? If so, would you consider paying it forward so another person can begin their journey?
If you are not currently partnering with us financially, we invite you to consider a recurring gift of $100 per year for the next 3 years.
Together, those gifts help us meet real needs and keep counseling accessible.
You can set up your recurring donation online, or call our office!
Thank you for helping change lives one family at a time.
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