Just Let Go
When I was about twelve years old, I burned the back of my right hand on a sparkler. I still have a spot on my knuckle where the skin isn't quite smooth. It wasn't necessarily a bad burn, but therein lay the problem. Partly out of fear and partly because it didn't hurt, I refused to allow anyone to treat it. As a result, the wound that could have healed over and returned to normal left a scar, a reminder of my stubborn insistence that I was okay.
Often times, the small sins in our life follow the same pattern. Partly because we believe they aren't really that bad and partly out of fear of acknowledging them as sin, we refuse to give them over to God. We are insistent that we are okay. Nothing here to see, God, move along.
But it's the little sins that fester into bigger ones until there's a wound so deep we think it will never heal. It is ugly and gaping. We surely can't let anyone see it now. What would they think? What would they say? They couldn't possibly understand. What started out as a tiny sin has now become a serious concern that pushes us away from those who want to help.
Think about it. It starts as just a TV show. It really doesn't have the best morals, but that's okay, it's not like your going to go out and do that stuff. Then you start to really like the show. One night you stay up late and watch it. You skip spending time with God. Just once. Then twice. Then three times. The next thing you know, it's a regular habit. You stay up late into the night watching your show, which of course makes you a bit crabby the next day. Someone asks you if you've been okay lately. You get defensive. It's no big deal, really, it's just a TV show. Too late, you realize that is no longer true. You're caught in a downward spiral and you don't know how to get out.
It's time to call in someone who knows-- about wounds and healing, about sin and forgiveness. We have a tendency to not want to come before God when we have such problems, but that's sort of like not wanting to go to the doctor until you've recovered from your sickness. We can't heal ourselves. It's time to stop trying.
Don't wait "just" one more day. Give over to God the things you are holding on to because your afraid of what He will say. You are fighting to stay in your prison. Let go of the bars. He can handle it, trust me. Because when you've reached a place as dark as this, there's only one "just" left: just let go.
Often times, the small sins in our life follow the same pattern. Partly because we believe they aren't really that bad and partly out of fear of acknowledging them as sin, we refuse to give them over to God. We are insistent that we are okay. Nothing here to see, God, move along.
But it's the little sins that fester into bigger ones until there's a wound so deep we think it will never heal. It is ugly and gaping. We surely can't let anyone see it now. What would they think? What would they say? They couldn't possibly understand. What started out as a tiny sin has now become a serious concern that pushes us away from those who want to help.
Think about it. It starts as just a TV show. It really doesn't have the best morals, but that's okay, it's not like your going to go out and do that stuff. Then you start to really like the show. One night you stay up late and watch it. You skip spending time with God. Just once. Then twice. Then three times. The next thing you know, it's a regular habit. You stay up late into the night watching your show, which of course makes you a bit crabby the next day. Someone asks you if you've been okay lately. You get defensive. It's no big deal, really, it's just a TV show. Too late, you realize that is no longer true. You're caught in a downward spiral and you don't know how to get out.
It's time to call in someone who knows-- about wounds and healing, about sin and forgiveness. We have a tendency to not want to come before God when we have such problems, but that's sort of like not wanting to go to the doctor until you've recovered from your sickness. We can't heal ourselves. It's time to stop trying.
Don't wait "just" one more day. Give over to God the things you are holding on to because your afraid of what He will say. You are fighting to stay in your prison. Let go of the bars. He can handle it, trust me. Because when you've reached a place as dark as this, there's only one "just" left: just let go.
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