Skeletons

what is it about ourselves that compel us to hide our issues? what is it that makes us shove them to the darkest corners of our person in hopes that they will not be discovered? is it fear? is it Shame? or is it the fact that once we admit to it we can no longer maintain our illusion of perfection. that once we admit to it we admit to ourselves and to the world that we do not have the strength to do this thing called life on our own. in many ways its a combination of all the above. the fear that when we do pull that skeleton out of the closet that the ones we trusted will only see the issue instead of the person and that they will never be able to look past the scarlet letter. we are ashamed of these things in our lives ashamed and afraid of them so much that we fake our way around them pretending that they don't exist until we conveniently begin to believe the lie that we so bravely put forth in a charade to make people see only what is pleasing and easy and perfect. occasionally we stumble across some one with the same issue hiding in the corner and there is no more need to hide the ugly stuff from them but they can offer little help with removing the thorn from your side when they can not take it from their own. so what are we to do? stand in our own spot light of perfection not straying from its claustrophobic circumference? or do we bring the things so carefully hidden in the darkness of our lives out into the light for all to see? or is there another perspective. i purpose that instead of acting like a two year old and hiding under a blanket of apathy with the belief that if you cant see it, it does not exist we need to face our issues. although this is way easier said than done which brings us back to admitting we can not do it on our own strength. when we ignore our issues its like a garden that we never weed or a bag of garbage that we never take out. we can not ignore our issues but neither should we sentence ourselves to hang our skeletons out for the whole world to see, like wearing a scarlet letter for the world to judge. so what than are we to do? if hiding them only makes them worse and broadcasting them to the world only makes them worse how then do we resolve our issues? the first step as i have already covered is admitting it. but to whom? to someone with the same problem? to our family? to our friends? no.

we first must admit it to ourselves and to God. God is the only one who has the strength to deal with the things we would just rather shove in a dark corner. now don't think that's all it takes. no that is just the first step. in James 5:16 it says" Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

so who after God are we suppose to talk to about this? 'each other' aka the church, your brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. once you admit to God that you need his strength that you need his help he is faithful in 1 Corinthians 10:13 we are given a promise that " No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." so let me say this. it is no coincidence the people God places in our lives. they are there to help you and be helped by you. so step number two confess your sins to each other and pray for each other its a two way deal. and God is faithful in providing a way to stand up under it.

thirdly we should boast about it! in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 Paul explains "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." so we also must delight in having issues and being able to talk and pray about them with those God has placed in our lives to boast about all that he has done and to let God use our skeletons for his glory and not as a foot hold for the devil.

What I thought I wanted.

we have a tendency to wish for things, that in the end turn out not as we expected or wished. most times its like chasing a mirage, and instead of the oasis we thought we were seeking after, we end up drinking the sand. we ask for things with an idyllic child like understanding of the consequences, rather than a rational mature view of the true effect, the object of our desire will have upon our life. we are like that kid, who begs and begs their parents to let them have desert for dinner, only to have their wish granted and end up getting sick as a result. but in the times we find ourselves facing undesirable consequences, from the things we thought we wanted, when you hear the phrase 'I told you so' or 'you got what you asked for' we must look beyond our regret and figure out what to do with what you got, even if its not what you thought you wanted. it just takes perspective to turn trash to treasure to make sense out of a disaster. I am reminded of lyrics to a song by Sara Groves which nailed this subject on the head and with those lyrics i will leave you to reflect

"What I thought I wanted, what I got instead
Leaves me broken and somehow peaceful"