Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
- Hebrews 4:16
'Tis the season to stress out, fa la la....The more often we hear songs about peace on earth the less peace we may seem to feel. We have passed Thanksgiving, so now comes the real pressure. There is less than a month until Christmas, and we're not ready, not even close. And I am not simply writing about not having the shopping done, the gifts wrapped, decorations up, or trips and food all planned out. although I doubt any of us are ready in that respect either. We are simply not ready. Not spiritually, emotionally, mentally or even physically.
For some it could be the first Christmas in recovery and the idea of spending that time with family and friends all making merry and putting on the chemical cheer without imbibing seems impossible, and yet there is no way to avoid the situations. For some Christmas and relationship stress always leads to renewed struggle to stay sober, no matter how many years in recovery. For some it may not be the holiday but the time growing near that causes them to feel the urge to try for that easy way to pay for everything and roll the dice that nearly lost it all before being lain aside for God's will. Or maybe this time of year brings out the issues with approval addiction more than any other as the list of all the things that must be done, made, bought gets longer and longer and the ability to get it all done close enough to perfect to please everyone is just not going to happen. How can someone with an eating disorder face the Christmas season with anything approaching joy and without feelings of guilt, shame and condemnation, or at the very least without having every waking moment becoming a fight of desperation?
I could go on, but you know what's stressing you. You also know how you normally handle it. We all have our defaults. We may buckle down, become more and more determined to do it, make it, succeed until we become so driven and focused we miss everything good and run over all those folks we're supposed to be showing love to. Or maybe we try to distract ourselves with pleasure or entertainment or social activities or...., Or maybe we give in to the desperation, depression and despair, leaving us paralyzed and unable to function. Or perhaps, tired of the fight, we simply give in and jump feet first into the failure we fear. After all, if we can't stop it, why submit ourselves to the dread of impending doom?
The truth is that admitting we can't do it all, may not even be able to do much or any of it at times is not failure. It is not a sign of being weak. It is a sign of health. We were never designed to do it all alone. God designed us for relationship and reliance upon Him and to have relationship with and to serve one another. In order for that to happen, we must help when we can and accept help when we need it, and we must be quick to turn to Daddy when the tsunami that is life looms over us. Oh that we could learn to be like cars. Cars, no matter how fantastic their gas mileage is, don't try to hide that they can't power themselves. They have a gauge easily visible and will even ding to get our attention when fuel levels dwindle. It doesn't mean the car is bad, poorly made or weak that it needs more juice. it wasn't designed to run without gas, and pretending the gauge isn't right will simply lead to being stranded on the side of the road.
Well, we were not designed to run on our own power. We were designed to be fueled by the Spirit. We were made to work well only when guided by and powered by God and when helping and receiving help from others. The scripture I opened with says that we can run to Daddy for help in times of need. It doesn't say if we have a time of need. It doesn't say if by some freaky chance there is a moment we need help. We all need help. We all need that grace. The times of need are frequent. We never mature enough or get strong enough spiritually to be able to do this thing on our own. This season, let us be quick to turn to Daddy and run to Him for the grace to make it through all the obstacles to victory and peace that we face. Let us remember that people are His hands and feet and shoulders to lean on and accept help from the people He sends us. And in those times when we have a breather from our own fight or when we need to get our focus off self, let us be quick to offer a compassionate heart and a loving hand to be of service to another in need.
This site is free. If this blessed, helped and or informed you, the best thing you can do is pass it on via the social buttons below. And please subscribe or follow Unshackled Life Ministries on Facebook.
Unshackled Life Ministries is grateful for every person that reads the daily Unshackled Moments, the weekly Unshackled Echo and or listens to the Audio Messages. I want to thank those who have clicked "like" on something that blessed or ministered to them on social media, commented on the blog or replied to an email subscription. It is encouraging to know that God is using this ministry to help and bless others. Please remember that if God used something from this ministry to help, encourage or bless you, it could also bless someone else. Would you help get the devotions and sermons to more people by sharing this? Hitting the share button or forwarding this to a friend will help us reach more people with the good news of freedom and the encouragement to live an Unshackled Life. Thank you and God bless.
No comments:
Post a Comment