Featured in the March 31st issue of Christians In
Recovery, Cruse addresses the issue of self-image and God’s view of us, even as
it pertains to addictions and compulsions.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Saturday, March 29, 2014
I have a question...
Do you have your own little paw
raised, filled with questions about your life?
I’d say that accounts for most,
if not all, of us. There are so many questions. Uncertainty abounds. Perhaps
you’re at a crossroads. Perhaps you’re recently reeling from a major mistake.
Or maybe you’re just simply confused. Are you asking questions? Are you asking God questions?
When we’re children, we’re notorious
for constantly asking why about the world around us. Why is the sky blue? Why
is the grass green? Why do I have to eat my vegetables? As we mature, however,
the why questions don’t go away. They just become more challenging. And so,
often, we stop asking, discouraged. We can become cynical, broken adults,
feeling shipwrecked about the state of our lives. Been there yet?
Fortunately, God never berates us for
our why questions. He encourages us repeatedly to “ask.”
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye
shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:”
Matthew 7:7
Ask. A simple little word, but it
contains so much power. For, when we turn our why questions to God, they have a
way of turning into prayer, don’t they?
“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in
prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”
Matthew 21:22
That’s a double shot of power! No, it
doesn’t mean that everything will be instantly fixed at that second. Often, we
may not know the answer. But ask and keep on asking!
“Keep
on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you
will find; keep on knocking [reverently] and [the door] will be opened to you.”
Matthew
7:7
Classic persistence! What are you
asking? What’s your question? Have you turned it to God? Have you asked it in
the Name of Jesus?
“Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name:
ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.”
John
16:24
Don’t be afraid of your questions; God
knows them long before you do. And, in all of your asking, don’t forget to ask
for wisdom.
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of
God, that giveth to all men
liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”
James
1:5
It may not be your desired,
instantaneous answer to prayer you’re seeking, but wisdom will be there to
bless and protect you in profound ways.
Keep going, keep asking. Think of how
far you’ve already come in your life. Think of all of the questions you’ve
asked which have led you to this point. That, in itself, is such an incredible
miracle! God has not forgotten you. He’s listening for your question. Will you
ask it?
Copyright © 2014 by Sheryle Cruse
Friday, March 28, 2014
Moderation...
One of the hurdles I’ve been working
on overcoming has been the extreme, all or nothing, kind of thinking. This
approach to life can often lead to eating disorders and addictions. It
certainly did with me.
If I wasn’t astonishingly beautiful, I
was ugly. If I wasn’t impossibly rail thin, I was grotesquely obese. If I
wasn’t completely perfect, then I was a miserable failure. Extremes.
But none of it was healthy or orderly.
And, like the scripture goes…
“Let all things be done decently and in order.”
1 Corinthians 14:40
Yeah. That wasn’t me.
Neither was the
scripture…
"Let your moderation be known to all men".
Philippians 4:5
Philippians 4:5
Nope, not me either.
Recently, I came across this image and
quote from the late Marilyn Monroe. You know, the beauty icon and pop culture
symbol.
And she makes a great point. While
there’s nothing wrong with doing our best in life, each of us needs to be
careful not to cross the line into believing we need to attain unrealistic
standards of perfection. There’s no doubt Marilyn was beautiful, flawed and had
a good heart. That comes through in the images and the stories about her.
But she recognizes her inability to
attain the impossible perfection does not, however, disqualify and cancel her
already existing qualities.
And how much more would God’s Word and
His beliefs about us do the same thing…if we let that happen?
God says the following about us:
“Since
you were precious in my sight… I have loved you…”
Isaiah
43:4
“I
will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…”
Psalm
139:14
“O
my dove…let me see your form…for your form is lovely.”
Song
of Solomon 2:14
“…being
confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will
complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”
Philippians
1:6
“For
I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace
and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah
29:11
We’re not to have super-inflated ideas
of ourselves. God doesn’t want arrogant or prideful thoughts. But we’re not to
have a poor, wretched sense of self, either. The point to our lives is not
image and perfection; it’s about relationship with God.
“He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD
require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with
thy God?”
Micah 6:8
We need to keep in check what are attainable
Godly requirements versus what are our own oppressive, rigid rules.
Moderation. Balance. Healthy
perspective.
And no, not easy; it’s often a
lifelong, work in progress which is, yes, imperfect.
But it can be done; it can be started,
now, wherever you and I find ourselves in life.
God’s inviting us to think differently
about ourselves and our lives? Will we?
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
Proverbs 4:23
Copyright © 2014 by Sheryle Cruse
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Don’t step on it...
Ain’t this the truth?
As a child, I
had a painful association with the scale. Once upon a time, I saw it as only a
weird square in the bathroom. It didn’t garner much attention from me; I was
more interested in the blue windmill stencil designs lining the tub and my rubber
ducky. It was just a square, taking up space.
However,
suddenly, Mom placed me on this square- and I became conscious of what I
weighed. Apparently, it wasn’t a good digit as, more frequently I needed to get
on this square. Now, suddenly, I had a “weight problem.”
And ever since,
I no longer see this particular square as just a square.
Through my
entire childhood and adolescence, this square dictated my worth, which was never
good enough, always too big, always too heavy.
That drove me to
eating disorders, with the hope as I became more punishing of myself, more “dedicated,”
well, then my two-digit weight as a young adult would mean triumph. It,
however, never really did, of course. Because, I could always lose more weight
and somehow, magivcally, “be better.”
On and on and on
I went, into my own scale-obsessed hell...
It’s incredible
what we think of this square. It’s supercharged with value, guilt, fear, loathing
and importance. The scale, in so many bathrooms yells at us to think less of ourselves.
We give it that
power.
We don’t have
to, however. We could choose to give something else power in determining our
value: God’s Word.
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever
things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just,
whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are
of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on
these things.”
Philippians 4:8
What if we
measured ourselves by the following?
“Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves'
eyes.”
Song of Solomon 1:15
“O my dove…let me see your form…for your form is lovely.”
Song of Solomon 2:14
“Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.”
Song of Solomon 4:7
What if we
stepped into these scriptures instead? God created our steps for far better things!
“The steps of a good man are ordered
by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.”
Psalms 37:2
Copyright © 2014 by
Sheryle Cruse
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Glory to Glory (Not all right now)
We live in an instant ta-dah culture; we want everything two
days ago. Who else is impatient besides me? Be honest. Yeah.
In life, whether or not we’re in recovery, we want to
“arrive” already, fully finished, perfect and dazzling. That, however, doesn’t
quite happen (cue eye roll). I know. We want our stuff: our blessings, our
miracles, our breakthroughs and our “happily ever after’s” now! RIGHT NOW!
But that thinking IS NOT God’s thinking:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says
the Lord. For as the heavens are
higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts
than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9
So, that means process…waiting…
Yay.
I know, it’s frustrating. But there is a purpose to waiting,
to not getting it all at once. We not supposed to have everything at once. The
glory process we’re on needs to catch up with our learning curve.
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of
the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just
as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
2 Corinthians 3:18
And, let’s face it, we can be slow learners, can’t we?
What if God has something incredible for us, but we need to
do a few things first?
What if we need to mature? Correct behavior? Learn
something?
I love a sentiment I once caught on a decorative wall
hanging:
“God answers our prayers in one of three ways: ‘yes,’ ‘not
yet’ and ‘I have something better in mind.’”
Does that make our minds go clunk?
Wherever we are, we are in process. As wonderful and easy as
the “perfect” answer may appear to be, God is far more concerned about our
character issues and development. Process. Not fun, easy or gratifying so much
of the time. But necessary? Worth it? Ding! Ding! Ding!
Any bells going off? What if we trusted the process, with
God IN it for our lives, prayers and desires! We ARE going from glory to glory.
We’re just at this particular glory. But, there IS more!
Don’t stop the process!
Copyright © 2014 by Sheryle Cruse
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Monday, March 24, 2014
Saturday, March 22, 2014
The Power Of Toxic Emotions...
“Keep thy heart
with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
Proverbs 4:23
Friday, March 21, 2014
Thursday, March 20, 2014
I Had No Idea
Featured in the March 2014 issue of Serene Scene Magazine, Cruse
discusses the signs, often overlooked, of disordered eating and image issues.
Unfortunately, “I had no idea” is often the reaction we have when someone we
know is struggling. Recovery and support, however, can be our responses to
these matters instead. There IS hope!
Consider Some Lilies
With this
being the first day of spring, certain thoughts become more prevalent: spring
break, getting in shape for summer and more revealing clothing and all manner
of negative body image issues in response to life’s reality. We seem to consider
anything which is critical, negative and punishing.
But what
about considering some lilies?
“And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of
the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say
unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.”
Matthew 6:28-29
Wouldn’t it
be healthier if, on this first day of spring, we could gear our minds towards
the beauty of who we actually are, according to God’s perspective?
“Behold, thou art
fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes.”
Song of Solomon 1:15
“I am the rose of
Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. As the lily among thorns, so is my love
among the daughters.”
Song of Solomon 2: 1-2
“O my dove…let me see
your form…for your form is lovely.”
Song of Solomon 2:14
“Thou art all fair, my
love; there is no spot in thee.”
Song of Solomon 4:7
It’s worth
considering.
Copyright © 2014 by Sheryle Cruse
Just a Cookie
What’s addiction all about? If it causes such pain and
negative consequences, why do we continue to engage in it?
As someone who’s struggled with eating disorders and worked
through years of recovery, I see over and over again, how I kept looking to
food, diets, rituals and all manner of behaviors to be my answer to my
problems. In short, I put my trust in anything and everything except God.
Scripture talks a lot about idolatry. It’s generally viewed
as a big no-no. After all, God gets right to the point with the first
commandment:
“Thou shalt have no
other gods before me.”
Exodus 20:3;
Deuteronomy 5:7
But I saw repeatedly how my own eating disorder behavior
directly flew in the face of that very commandment. I was trying, as an
impossibly imperfect human being, to do things my way.
Great.
I had visions of Frank Sinatra singing the empowering song
of individual freedom and independence. What I got, however, were stifling
eating disorders.
So much for my bright ideas, huh?
Indeed, my desperate nature wanted to be soothed and
comforted for a multitude of reasons: abuse, rejection, loneliness and fear, to
name a few. And none of those reasons were sinful; they were what they were.
But my choice to look outside of God was, dare I say, sinful.
Yikes.
Sinful. That’s a
harsh word. Did I choose to have eating disorders? No, I don’t believe I did.
But did I choose my choices which eventually led me down that road? Oh yes, I
did.
The word “sin” is often described as “missing the mark.”
It’s a lighter touch than a descriptive definition of willful and evil
disobedience to God. “sin” never is a feel good word; that’s for sure. I’ve
gone several rounds with God praying for forgiveness of my sins, asking for
help, trying not to look at and deal with them.
But, for a moment, let’s just examine the “sin” word through
that “missing the mark” definition. After all, God doesn’t want to pulverize
anyone. Scripture tells us…
“The Lord is not
slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering
to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9
So, that’s a breather right there. God’s opposition to sin
is not because He wants to ruin all of our fun. It’s because that sin gets us
astray from the best, most blessed and beneficial mark for our lives; we
downright miss that mark by following sin.
And that idea to miss the mark starts with a decision. And
that decision starts with a thought. One tiny, seemingly innocent little
thought.
“For as he thinketh
in his heart, so is he...”
Proverbs 23:7
“Keep thy heart
with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”
Proverbs 4:23
Again, yikes.
For me, that one
little thought was that food would be my answer: to comfort, to companionship,
to control, to entertainment and to love. And with that thought as a baseline,
it set the stage for all of my other disordered eating issues and behaviors.
Later on, starvation, binge overeating, excessive exercise, deceit and control
tactics were additional layers which were added, convincing me “this” was the
answer I could trust.
However, of course, none of them were. Instead, each one of
them only pulled me deeper into prison, unhealthy choices, fear and shame. Not
what I chose, but, by virtue of that thought, leading to wrong choice after wrong
choice, it was exactly what I got.
A lot of us like Chinese food. And, what comes as a dessert
treat with the meal is the fortune cookie. We crack it open to reveal a tiny
paper fortune. It’s usually way above my head, spouting something about wisdom
or strength. But how many of us don’t even focus past the actual cookie itself
for some answer?
“It” may not be an actual cookie which is your Achilles
heel, but it’s something isn’t it? Something you, yourself, through a thought,
a decision, have ordained to be your answer. It could be a pint of ice cream, a
shot of Bourbon, a line of cocaine, a hit of speed, another bet on the horses
or a rendezvous with that person who is “bad”: for you. But whatever “it” is,
it is not your answer. God is.
Scripture reminds us…
“….Blessed are all they that put their trust in
him.”
Psalm 2:12
So, what’s unsaid is, perhaps, “cursed are all they that put
their trust in (Fill in the blank with your ‘it?’)”
Again, it’s not comforting, like thinking on the word “sin.”
But each of us really needs to get real with who- and what- we place our trust
in. Nothing else will save or work for us. The fortune cookie will not work.
Only God…only God…
Copyright © 2014 by Sheryle Cruse
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Food Fight
Back in the
1970’s, the classic film, “Animal House” famously depicted John Belushi’s
character starting a food fight in the college cafeteria. It’s filled with
hilarity and chaos and it got me thinking. This food fight scene can, perhaps,
be symbolic for any of us struggling with disordered food and eating issues.
While it’s nowhere near as fun or funny, the food fight, nevertheless, exists.
Years in to
recovery, I’ve done much soul searching. The soul: the mind, the will and the
emotions. That’s where we get tripped up. And it stems from a few reasons.
First, it
has to do with our relationship with
food. We can place inappropriate importance to
it.
“Is not life more than food?”
Jesus, in Matthew 6:25
It’s meant
to keep us alive and healthy. It’s not meant to entertain, console us or
replace our relationship with God and other people.
Yet, for
many of us with disordered eating issues, that is precisely what we do.
“But I see another law
in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into
captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”
Romans 7:23
Yes, we’re
at war. It’s partly because we have a wrong view of God-created food. We need
to get His perspective on it to
better help us in our own viewpoints.
Once again,
we’re back to God. Simply stated, God tells us to eat:
“And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then
an angel touched him, and said unto him, ‘Arise and eat.’”
1 Kings 19:5
“So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left
thereof, according to the word of the LORD.”
2 Kings 4:44
And even in spite
the Bible’s mention of fasting as a spiritual practice, He, nevertheless, still
wants us healthy and prospering.
“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper
and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”
3 John 1:2
But it’s not
about food; it’s about God. And yes, as far as He’s concerned, eating is a part
of life.
“And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple,
and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and
singleness of heart,”
Acts 2:46
He created
food. Ever since Genesis, He considered it good.
“And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding
fruit, whose seed was in
itself, after his kind: and God saw that it
was good.”
Genesis 1:12
It’s we who
determine if something is a “good or bad food.”
“For one believeth
that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs.”
Romans 14:2
That’s why
God instructs us to be sensitive to others who are struggling...
“Wherefore, if meat
make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I
make my brother to offend.”
1 Corinthians 8:13
Nevertheless,
there’s nothing off limits.
“All
things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are
lawful for me, but all things edify not.”
1 Corinthians 10:23
“All
things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are
lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”
1 Corinthians 6:12
There’s
varying degrees of healthy choices out there; it’s not a “good” or “bad”
options. Once we know that, we can be
better armed for freedom and can participate more fully in a close and healthy
relationship with both God AND food. We can, indeed, “do all for the glory of
God.”
“He that regardeth the
day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord
he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God
thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God
thanks.”
Romans 14:6
“Whether therefore ye
eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
1 Corinthians 10:31
It’s not a
perfect process; it’s ongoing, filled with teachable moments.
And that’s
inspiring and comforting. If we have engaged in any kind of “food fight,” God
can help us live and win concerning
it.
“The horse is prepared
against the day of battle: but safety is
of the LORD.”
Proverbs 21:31
“But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus
Christ.”
1 Corinthians 15:57
But, again,
we need to remind ourselves it’s not
a perfect process.
And, because
it is a process, it is not
instantaneous. It’s about daily decisions; it’s about setbacks and triumphs. It’s
about learning and discovering our unique one- on- one relationship with God.
That takes work and time. And yes, sometimes it feels like a fight against
ourselves and our issues.
So, the next
time we catch ourselves in the middle of a food fight, let’s direct it to God
and look at it through His
perspective.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my
ways, says the Lord. For as the
heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My
thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9
And let’s
not label ourselves as defeated. That is not
who we are. God always sees us differently:
“Since you were precious in my sight… I have loved you…”
Isaiah 43:4
“But we all, with
unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being
transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of
the Lord.”
2 Corinthians 3:18
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the
Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11
It’s time we
arm ourselves for battle with THAT!
Copyright © 2014 by Sheryle Cruse
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
The Dress
Appearing in Christians In Recovery March 18th issue,
this article examines the importance of image as goal when it comes to distorted
body image and disordered eating issues.
Crossroad (The Blessing of Being Kept Safe While Frustrated)
There’s a saying out there: delay is
not denial. I don’t know about you, but those words can really chap my hide.
Perhaps you’re more patient and enlightened than I am. Perhaps you have a handle
on life situations. But are there any of you out there who are as annoyed by
that statement as I am?
File this under work in progress
stuff?
Looking at this image of a mother duck
leading her little goslings reminds me of the scriptures, Luke 13:34; Matthew 23:37:
“…how
often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!”
Jesus,
in His tremendous love for Jerusalem (and really, on a broader scale, for all
of us), declared a desperate, frustrated plea. He wanted to gather and protect
us…from what, though? Was He trying to protect us from danger, from
circumstances, from ourselves, maybe?
You
know another quote out there as well; we can be our own worst enemies.
Sigh
here with recognition of the unflattering truth.
Patience
has never quite been my strong suit. I was always the kid who was trying to see
inside wrapped Christmas presents, just hoping that, perhaps I “accidentally”
tore the wrapping paper enough to see what was inside. Greed drove my patience,
but so did anxiety as well. Can you relate?
When
I was a kid in my physical education class, anxiety was my word of the day. I
dreaded the class because, uncoordinated me knew I was horrible at playing most
games and sports. I carried anxiety with me as my physical education teacher
tried to expose us child hooligans to different things, like shuffleboard and
bowling, things other than tag and kickball. She gave a valiant effort to turn
us into renaissance hooligans. Somehow, however, I don’t think that particular
dream of hers was ever fully realized.
Anyway,
one such attempt at enlightenment was when we were introduced to archery.
That’s right. Nine and ten year old kids walked into a gym one fine school day
to see bullseye targets at the far end of the gymnasium and shooting stations
twenty to thirty feet away from the targets, holding a bow and a set of arrows.
I
thought, how bad could it be? There was no running, after all. Just point and
shoot.
As
the rowdy bunch of us hooligan goslings chatted and oohed over this new game,
our physical education teacher was trying to instruct us- and warn us about the
dangers of archery. Just because it was a game, and maybe even a fun game, at
that, didn’t, however, mean that we could just bulldoze our way a-shooting. Not
unless some of us wanted to wear an arrow through a particular limb or achieve
some unintentional ear piercing of our own.
As
much of a drag as it was to listen to the teacher, it was necessary. She
informed us of the importance of shooting your five arrows at the target when
she blew her whistle. And once you’ve shot all of them, you’re to remain at
your station until everyone is finished or she again blows her whistle,
whichever one comes first. Simple, right?
But,
inevitably, someone, after their arrows were shot, would “forget” and start
heading for the target to pick them up. That’s right. While arrows are still
whizzing by, there’s a nine or ten year old hooligan trekking for the bullseye.
Perhaps he or she forgot the warning. Perhaps he or she was caught up in the
excitement. Perhaps he or she was too impatient to wait. Or, maybe, like me,
there were kids who were just too anxious, wanting to get the session over with
as soon as possible. Whatever the case, it would be no more than a few seconds
before the whole class would hear a shrieking whistle blown and the archery
session halted.
And
how many of us have had instances when a warning whistle, scream or shout came
our way? You may never have had an archery moment, but you probably have had
some kind of near miss or close call. Maybe it’s even been in pursuit of some
fun or desired thing you went after full steam ahead. Fun and desired things
have their place, but what if there’s a danger in pursuing them? What if what we chase and want
requires God’s crossing guard guidance to ensure we’ll get to the other side of
the street successfully and safely?
The
cliché is true: “be careful what you want because you just might get it. “But
we argue back, “I want it NOW!” We whine, “I don’t want to wait.” We think
we’re ready and deserving of that coveted thing instantly and immediately, if
not sooner.
But
God knows the real deal.
He
knows every single crossroad in our lives. He knows our desires and thoughts.
“O Lord, you have searched me
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O Lord.”
Psalm 139:1-4
“How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.”
Psalm 139:17-18
Heck,
He even weighs our intentions.
“All the ways of a man are
clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits.”
Proverbs 16:2
And,
He knows what that thing will do to us.
“Your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.”
Psalm
139:16
Ah
yes, not just our immaturity is being assessed, but also our character as well.
Wonderful. So, it might do us some good to slow down, even stop, and look to
God to guide our next move.
“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalm
139:23-24
There
are a lot of arrows whizzing by us in our daily lives. God is a loving and
protecting God, but what if we’re insisting on rebelling against that reality?
In
the recovery world, there’s phrase that I’ve personally used and have witnessed
in others: “fighting your help.” We often go through interventions, “hit bottoms”
and risk our families, lives and health, all because we spend our energy
fighting our help. We fight people; we fight God. And that’s always such a
brilliant strategy, isn’t it?
Meanwhile,
God wants to lavish us with His love and blessings by leading us through His
Word. Jesus is the embodiment of that guiding Word. He’s not called “the good
shepherd” for nothing, right?
Going
back to the image of a mother duck leading her offspring safely across the
street, we see how not one of them gets ahead of mama. It’s a simple principle,
yet we have such a difficult time heeding it: follow God.
Are
we doing that? Or, are we going our own way, quacking in our ignorance,
impatience and stubborn ways? Perhaps, not getting what we want is the
blessing. Perhaps not obtaining that thing we desire is exactly what we need to
keep us safe.
We
don’t know the whole story. But God does. And God hasn’t changed His Mind about
how it will turn out for us:
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord,
thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11
Don’t
let the following statement Jesus uttered be said about you:
“…how
often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!”
Are
you darting out on a crossroad without looking for God’s direction? Stop. Look
both ways and look to God before you cross that street.
Don’t
fight your help; don’t fight God.
“Trust in the Lord
with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways
acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
Copyright © 2014 by Sheryle Cruse
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