Tag: problems

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Letting Go

I was trying to find something to watch on TV one night and stumbled upon the show Hoarders.  Have you ever seen it?  I don’t know why I sat there & watched an hour detailing the condition and subsequent clean up of a house filled with trash.  But I couldn’t seem to turn the channel – something about it intrigued me.

As a part of the show, they brought in a psychiatrist to help the person hoarding understand her dysfunction.  Basically, after her husband passed, she just started to throw everything on the floor, so bad that she cannot see the floor in her house any longer.  It was a product of bringing the chaos she was feeling inside to the outside.  It somehow satisfied her.  This went on for 18 years.  It wasn’t until the city prepared to take the house away from her and condemn it did she allow someone to come in and help.

As I watched this story unfold, the Holy Spirit asked me – how many times have you hoarded things in your mind, heart, or emotions until you had to get rid of it?  How many times do you not want to deal with a bad situation so you stuff it down?  How many times have you compromised your health because you don’t want to properly clean up a mess in your mind, heart, or emotions?

We do not have to hoard in order to live an unhealthy life.  We just have to leave emotions, thoughts, problems sitting around long enough for them to start to stink, rot, and compromise our health.  The structure of our personhood – the being God has uniquely created – can be compromised and be set to be condemned; it isn’t then we start to clean ourselves up.

I had the privilege and honor to be a few people’s counselor a few years back.  As I head their stories, I saw how months, years, decades of repressed emotions from past problems have caused their lives to spin out of order.  Now, they come and sit on a couch to ask a perfect stranger for help. 

 There is absolutely no shame in doing this.  God created the act of counseling for a reason and He loves it when His children find healing.  If you find yourself in a place where you think you are spinning out of control, I encourage you to seek help.  But before you do that, before you reach out to your BFF, your mom, or the Internet, consider another solution.

Turn to God:

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”

‭‭I Peter‬ ‭5:6-7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Sometimes, we need to get on our knees, seek His face, and ask our precious loving Father to help us clean the mess we allowed to get overrun with hurt, bitterness, and frustration up.  Help us clean up the consequences of our avoidance.  Put us on a track to getting better.  Placing people in our lives who can help us get to where we need to be.  

If you find yourself in a situation like this, you are not alone.  I’ve been there, as well as many others.  There is a solution – it may get hard – but it will get better.  Trust that God has it all worked out as soon as you lay it in His hands.

Be blessed my friends!  Never, ever stop seeking.

   

  

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Pursue Peace

There is a song I loved that we sang in church growing up.  My favorite line: “I know the Peacespeaker.  I know Him by name.”  I can still hear it being sung.  It depicts a part of the character of God so perfectly – the Peacespeaker.  The one who knows how to bring peace to this world by just a word, a touch, a breathe…how awesome it is to know Him!

It is awesome because this world is in need of peace!   Life gets crazy quick.  Things happen.  There are very few good news stories.  Sickness, pain, depression, anger and strife surround us.  People go hungry, homeless, are sold into slavery, or feel so alone they decide to take their own lives.  What a world in need of a Savior!  

Christ is what the world needs!  Since we are followers of Christ – aren’t we His examples on Earth? He is the Peacespeaker – therefore, shouldn’t we try to emulate Him? 

Start a journey with me – a journey to pursue peace.  In everything we do – try to speak & do in a way that brings about connection rather than division.  No more harmful, unnecessary or mean judgement.  I, personally, have had to clean up some messes because I decided to place judgement when it wasn’t my place.  

I am starting this journey – a journey towards speaking peace over my life, my family, my friends, my job, my church, my country, and our world.  Join me!!  Let’s show everyone who God is.  Not some judge with a mallet, but a good, kind  Father who loves everyone…even in the midst of our sins.

“Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34:14‬ ‭NKJV‬

Be blessed my dear friends!

  

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Confessions of a Control Freak

Trust – one of the most beautiful things in this world. There is something about someone giving you their trust – it shows you how much they value you. It is also one of the hardest things to give to people and yet is the one of the few components in a relationship that you need to be in relationship with someone. I think our society, especially, has an issue with trust as we are so independent. We take care of ourselves and then take care of those around us. Eat or be eaten, right?

How this is so far from the message of Christ. One thing that strikes me in the story of the time between when Christ is captured and before He is crucified is how He just takes it (see John 18). He doesn’t give His accusers the satisfaction of saying that they are right, but He also doesn’t try to run. He knows His assignment and puts up with whatever He needs to do in order to get His job done.

I am all for independence and fighting for what you believe in, fighting for your boundaries, and keeping your dignity. God does not want us to be miserable. He desires for us to be happy and content, living well. Is this always the case? No, it isn’t. Unfortunately, because we live in a world where there is turmoil everywhere – we will have to face trials.

If you are like me, when you go through trials – you try to figure things out. I can actually make myself sick trying to figure things out. I want to know what is going to happen when I take the turn in front of me. I don’t want to put myself at risk for being hurt or to be put in a more precarious position that I already am in. The issue with this mindset is that I do not control the universe. I didn’t speak the world into existence. I am not omnipresent or live absent of time. I am here on this Earth, walking this thing out, living day to day. I do not have the capabilities of controlling such things. I MUST trust God.

There are times when I will struggle with this for days. As a result, I must repent. Why? Because not trusting God is actually a sin. We are telling Him that we know better than He does – with is rebellion. That is the original sin. I am making more of this situation than I need to – all is asked of me is to trust Him and follow Him. Simple, right?

Ponder this scripture: When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. Isaiah 43:2 NLT

For all you fellow control freaks – know that whatever you must endure, God will not allow it to consume you, but will be right there beside you (Matthew 28:20). God has it all planned out. Just trust Him!

Be blessed