How do you respond to life's challenges as they get thrown at you? Sometimes the response to challenges like stress, anxiety, worries, fear or sin in our lives is to withdraw and "retreat"....to ignore and brush it off in hopes that it will just go away. Well...that is my tendency. I am the queen at "retreating" or ignoring any major issues in my life. I hate confrontation...with a passion. I like to stuff it down deep and let it hopefully disappear. In fact, my hubby and I did marriage counseling 20 years ago and they told us we would have a hard time in our marriage communicating because we both are "avoiders" or "stuffers". We decided that particular day to "avoid" that advice altogether and that became our last session. Yes...yes we did that..not our smartest decision ever. That might be a blog for another day!
Just this past week I have been confronted head on with the ramifications of what happens when you avoid things that just might need some attention. My little something was a little red spot in a zone on my body that doesn't get much sunlight. It definitely wasn't always there...and I have ignored that little red spot so long that I honestly can't remember when I first saw it? I just hoped it would go away...it wasn't causing much discomfort or pain. It wasn't a big deal.
Well...the little tiny red spot that I so perfectly ignored gradually grew to 2 inches and turns out it will need to get removed, as it is Basil Cell Carcinoma. Not anything too major. I'll at least get my insurane deducatble out of the way for the year...and oh it will be so lovely to be awake during the four hour surgury as they cut away the cancersous skin that I allowed to grow on my body. I'm not pleased with myself. If I took the time several years ago to address the little red spot...it would have been a pretty simple, less costly and annoying solution.
Are you ignoring any glaring "spots" in your life? Do you tend to retreat or run away from issues? This has just been a great reminder that they will grow, they can fester, they won't go away...especially if it is sin. Sin has a way of sneaking up on you...starts out as insignificant and small. Maybe it is just a little unforgivemess, or bitterness or jealousy or gossip. That little something can grow and become something so big it can consume you. When it comes time for Jesus to do some cutting away...it might hurt...a lot. There might be some stitches! We have the Holy Spirit residing inside us to convict us to confront us. Listening to Him is way better than running away.
I ran away from God for most of my life. I now know that I have to to RUN to him...not away. When I ran from God it was because I didn't want to confront those areas in my life that needed fixing. I didn't want to let God get to close. I thought I might be hurt. God isn't in the business of HURTING. God wants us to rest in HIM. He will show us the areas we need refining in...but HE DOES the work for us. He has created us, and saved us and calls us to a much higher purpose than we can fathom. Jesus didn't run away from God...He ran to Him. He regularly had to get away when he was hurting or when important decisions needed to be made. HE went towards God to heal and renew his soul. There are things we need to confront head on in our lives. It may be the joys in our life or grief or losses, to shed some tears or maybe even to sit in anger or to confront our loneliness. If we take time away, to be silent we can take that time to ALLOW HIM be with us in each of those places.
Not everything can be fixed, but when we are in Gods presence it gives us that patience to wait for Him to accomplish what needs to be done.
Taking time to retreat and get away and replenish and look deep within and get to know God on a deeper level can be intoxicating. Experiencing Gods love and his prescence is powerful. You have to bend a little, yield a little. No more withdrawing and hiding but be wide open in honest.
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