“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” ~ Joshua 1.9
What does “strong and courageous” look like? What is the picture that pops into your brain? Is it a person that keeps silent, holds their chin up and moves about their day pretending that no one can see behind the pasted-on smile and half-hearted laughter?
Has someone hurt you recently? Has something happened that caused your inner world to crash? There is no denying that betrayal hurts. We get that kicked-in-the-gut kind of feeling that hurts like the worse symptoms of the stomach flu. So now who do we turn to? Who can we trust?
I don’t think Papa God wants us to “fake it till we make.” I believe there is a time and a place to process all the pain that we feel when we’ve been hurt or damaged. But it is important to keep moving…go beyond the processing. If we are serious about wanting our soul…that “stream of life” to be in unison with the ONE who created it…to be clean and pure, free flowing and free, then we must continue tending the stream.
I recently had to go back to recreate a scenario that has to be examined by others in order for a decision to be made. It was an arduous process; one that took me back to a time that was incredibly disconcerting. As I uncovered the past and dug under the “rocks,” so to speak, I felt the ugliness resurface of what once was. It wasn’t just the ugliness of the circumstances, or the ramifications that are being realized even now, but also the ugliness of the emotions that I remember all too well that once again caused my gut to wrench.
And in this process, almost on a daily basis, I had to self-examine. I had to ask myself, “What is the motive of my heart?” It’s easy to get caught on the emotional roller coaster of the “old memories” and allow them to take you down the road that leads to the pit of disgust and self-pity. The challenge is not only to remember clearly what happened. The bigger challenge is to remember the healing that happened since then and embrace the positive rather than the negative.
I had to ask God to allow me to see the individuals involved through His lenses and not my own. And yet… I had to lay out the truth in a way that may cause some discomfort, not just for me, but for others. I have found that discomfort is sometimes necessary. It gets us moving. It gets us out of the well-worn ruts of complacency and allows us to see the boulders and debris in our own “stream.” We need discomfort in order to keep moving…in order to learn from our past and make better and wiser decisions.
“The name of the Lord is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe.” ~ Proverbs 18.10
“He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.” ~ Psalm 91.4
“Papa God, help me – help us – to see the debris in our stream in a way that will cause us to look at others with compassion and understanding. Help us to lay down anything that would get in the way of Your work in our lives. Pour mercy and grace into our day, and let us demonstrate Your mercy and grace to others throughout our day. Let it be You that takes the lead. In Jesus name – Amen.”
In His Strong Love,
Rose
Rod & Rose 