When we watch a sad movie we cry, even knowing it is not true, only a story. Our flesh reacts to stimuli, which is the reason we must be sure that we THINK, and THINK THINGS THROUGH, Biblically and logically.
Those who have a "Pollyanna" mentality have difficulty seeing truth. They must always see things in terms they like rather than reality.
It is only when we face reality that we can have solutions to problems and dilemmas. Aren't you glad that engineers build bridges and buildings based on science and logic rather than their hopes.
Our desires often deceive us. If we are an engineer building something and we operate according to our feelings, we might be tempted to leave out certain safety measures because they are hard to accomplish or they just don't look the way we would like, maybe they are too expensive. We wouldn't want to hire an engineer that does things the easy way or cannot admit his design needs more work when it is unsafe. And, yet we do this with relationship, we take the easy road. It is easier to dissolve the relationship, refuse to communicate than to do the hard work of admitting or confronting.
Relationships fail often in our world because the foundations for them are broken or gone. The foundational structure of a good relationship is conversation, truth and a desire to resolve things, even if we have to admit our wrong attitude or reaction.
Seldom in our world today are we allowed to discuss things, nor are those confronted, willing to admit anything. This is why we have the Catholic church sweeping dirt under the rug for decades, moving priests around to avoid the difficulties that come from resolving situations in truth. Protecting the organization takes priority over the individual who was harmed.
The Catholic church is not the only entity that does this form of lying. Many protestant pastors have their own dirt that they hide. intimidating into silence those who have been offended or grieved.
Mocking, intimidation and demeaning, even triangulation have been used to silence victims of verbal, emotional and spiritual abuse.
Time after time we have seen the victims voice the abuse they have endured, only to be treated as though they were lying or demented, even rejected by family members for daring to tell the truth.
It's just easier for everyone if the victim suffers alone, without helpers or allies who come alongside. You see, in our system, the allies would also be persecuted by those who choose not to believe the truth teller.
Thankfully God is our biggest ally, He sees all, knows all and has all the answers for us. Yes, the abuse often leaves scars for a lifetime, but those scars to do not overtake the believer, they are there, but they do not dictate our choices or our friends.
When we lean into Jesus Christ instead of our feelings, the feelings dissipate and we begin to see purpose in all that happens to us, even the ugly things. The devil cannot harm us when we know Who is in control and that is Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:3-5
"More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
No comments:
Post a Comment