One Little Thing…
Sometimes life gets the best of us. We struggle to maintain our peace and keep going. We struggle to be who we are meant to be. We struggle to not get hurt and then struggle to move past hurts. Sometimes it is too much and we just fall apart.
If that's you, then know, it's me too. There are days when the weight of the world seems too much. When slogging through problems and emotions feels like walking in knee-deep wet sand. When the ability to rise above becomes a skill I used to have and not a skill I still possess.
It can all start with one little thing. And then before you know it, you have scoured the recesses of your mind and found a million more little things to add to the pile. None of these little things matter on their own, but when grouped together they become a insurmountable problem that is crushing you.
I believe this is how fiery darts feel. I believe this crushing of my spirit is part of scheme. I believe this happens every time I am about to step up and out in faith.
There is no logical reason for me to all of sudden remember every insult, hurt, bad word, mistreatment, rejection, etc. that ever happened to me. There is no reason for me to roll them all into a ball. There is no reason for me to put that ball at the top of the hill and go stand at the bottom waiting to be crushed by the giant ball of hurt. I would never chose to treat myself this way, but here I am, filled with anxiety and fear about being crushed by that ball.
So what to do about this impending fate?
For starters, dismantle the ball.
Remember these are all little things that aren't harmful on their own. They are like little butterflies or hummingbirds or snowflakes or raindrops. One or two or three at a time aren't a big deal.
Dismantle the lies.
I am not who others say I am or how they treat me. I am who God says I am and how He treats me. I'm not trading His perfect love for me, for some worthless words, actions or attitudes. People don't have the power to redefine, recreate, remake or redo what God has defined, created, made or done...and that includes me. I don't suddenly become less just because someone tells me I am or treats me like I am. I am who God says I am and if others don't like that or think that isn't "fair" they need to take that up with God, not me. I didn't create myself and I can't change the good God created in me into something broken to save someone else the trouble of having to change what is broken in them into the good thing God created in them in the first place. Me breaking myself will never make another person whole.
Dismantle the enemy.
This isn't about other people at all. It is about the enemy that makes friends get hurt over misunderstood words. That makes families hold onto hurts and stop talking. That makes spouses fight over who is the biggest victim in the relationship. That makes strangers take offense to attitudes and actions of others. These are the same tactics everyday, everywhere, everyone, every time. No new tricks. I stand against these attacks on my mind and emotions and say NO, I will not be "made" to feel or think anything I don't want to. I have the power over my own mind and emotions. I am not a slave to them, they are a slave to me. The minute I say NO and take the power back, the scheme is done. The feelings fade, the thoughts stop and peace is resumed. Once I remember whose I am and who I am in Christ, the enemy has to flee. His tricks only work if I am too confused to remember the power I possess through what Jesus did on the cross.
If you feel hurt, let down, betrayed, unloved or a myriad of other negative emotions, just remember that none of them are true. No person can hurt you more than God can heal you. No enemy is more powerful than the sons and daughters of the King. Make a choice to step back into your true identity. Make a choice to say NO to the schemes to hurt you. Make a choice to use your God given power to defeat all enemies in Jesus' name.
"If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31
