Yesterday I was privileged to accompany a person to an office as the professional was offering to make some major life changing helps for the person and their family. Like a scene from a fairy tale, an offer of a change of direction for the problems they are facing was offered….not just a bandaid, but a life changing offer. It was a kind of grace that one only hears about in fairy tales. Grace not earned, grace not deserved, grace definately not paid for.
The scene, though real, brought to me a lesson of things we all do to ourselves. This professional simply asked the person for the truth. TRUTH. He asked the person to truly admit to the length and depth of what had happened. No writing down, or confessing, or holding it against the people in court…simply a professional wanting to understand the truth. No outcome hinging on the truth of the situation, for the offer was not being withdrawn, he simply wanted to know what had happened. The person hedged. The person covered. The person admitted some minor things and yet did not indeed admit the truth. The person lied thoroughly for that person and one other and covered the lie with “pretty words” that sounded right but weren’t…..the person’s fear was too much stronger than the faith that God had indeed sent this rescue in the way of a miraculous situation. The professional who was offering to help knew the truth before asking. (doesn’t God know all our truths when we are not coming forth with them to Him and admitting them?) It was one of the saddest things I have ever seen…..so much of this persons life was based on conditional help that indeed when grace was offered the person only saw it as another trap. Satan had won another battle….
I watch shows on t.v. that have “experts” trying to help people’s outside image with a $5000 gift card and expert advice. Now these experts do this for a living, are trained in what looks good and what is appropriate, yet time and time again you see individuals (folks like us) fighting them tooth and nail to hang on to what hasn’t worked for them in the past. It just bowls me over every time….why would you even agree to go to the show if you indeed don’t want to change? I pray over and over that God will change my heart for my betterment, and truthfully He is and has and continues to each time I release my control for Him to do so!
God has so opened my eyes to my own need for a life makeover lately. In working with other families and knowledge of others, He has shown me their errors in my own life and how its just as destructive for me. Its been a profound time for me. Watching yesterday’s meeting, knowing that the professional had made life changing opportunities for this person and the person was essentially choosing to not deal with reality indicated that despite this grace offering, the family will be back with the same issues again. Not that the offer would be with held, but if even after this situation the client is still not willing to accept the truth of the dangers they face…well, they’ll be right back in the same situation despite the promises that this was a one time thing. If we don’t choose to face the truth of what we are doing, we rarely change.
Truth is we repeat our mistakes until the pain of change is less than the pain of the mistakes we make. I’m living it right now on body size. The pain of remaining over 220 lbs on a 5’5″ was much more than the pain of eating right, or going to God with my pain instead of food. My body flat didn’t feel good any more. Clothes didn’t look good and I was so out of energy and ashamed of me. Its taken a long time to get here, to recognize that the measuring tapes weren’t lying, that no matter how much I pretended to myself it wasn’t that bad, the truth was I needed to lose 40% of my body to be where I wanted to be very realistically. 25% to be where the doctor said was top level the heaviest I should be. Even at 199.5 now my body is functioning much easier.
Its not a fun discovery. We won’t even mention the high blood pressure, headaches from bending, knee pain, shame, and sluggid feelings I had to deal with daily.
Spirits of fear take hold in our lives. Sometimes its our own personal pride that fails to humbly seek truth, but prefers the empowering pride we can easily find in blaming others or making excuses. Other times we get so out of whack wth our personal boundaries we forget what healthy or peaceful should be. We get so used to pretending that something is the way we tried to cover it to be that we lose sight of what truth is. Truths of what is healthy for us, for our children, truths of what is and is not our responsibility. Truths of boundaries in our lives and why they are important. Particularly those of us who are able, we lose the truth that God has to be in charge, not us, and that only in that relationship of God first, then us can we grow and stay on a healthy path….no matter how many times we were told “do what you can do, then leave the rest to God” that is absolutely clearly WRONG theology. Give all to God, He will then lead you in what you should do! And by the way, that includes covering for those you love. Each one of us is responsible for what we are to be. You cannot fix anyone else any more than they can fix you.
This morning I am especially troubled for a young family. Please join me in praying that they will recognize God’s voice in their lives and begin to shut out the devil’s lies that nothing will be ever right again. There is so much to rejoice for right now if they will take the professional’s help that is offered and go through the steps that lead to a new and more peace filled life. I believe that God had a plan in all of it, that the offers to help from the professional, are indeed that, help….not a trap….but I also believe that it is each one of ours choice as to what we accept or walk from even God.
Please join me in praying for those facing hard decisions that God will guide them in all things. Join me in asking God to show us, ourselves, what areas of life we need to give up our masks about….and face our real selves with faith that God already knew us and loves us still and is waiting for us to run home to Him.
