Oh I’ve said it in a few live-streams, and to a few faces, and in a few posts here lately, but I’ll say it here too: We have got to allow ourselves time to ADJUST before we ACCOMPLISH.
Our necks are still sore from the force of this thing crashing in from the back like a Mack truck. (And some of us were a little off kilter even prior to the surprise of this season!)
We’re seeing all the goers and doers and getters going and doing and getting. Closet clean outs. Wall repainting. Blind dusting. Book writing. Business starting. And while we’re seeing all the accomplishments of our acquaintances, we’re sitting, spinning.
That’s okay.
And honestly, preferable in my book.
Sometimes, people DO so that they don’t have to DIG. People are good at pacifying what their feelings and aches are trying to tell them, by preoccupying their minds with busyness.
But what would happen if we were to stop and stare down the things that we’ve stuffed for so long?… the things that are saying “Deal with me! Deal with me! Deal with me!” There’s lots to learn by looking inside. The Spirit resides there after all. This requires a pause though, that many of us would rather bypass.
Want to get to “work” in this season? It’s fine to have plans and ideals about what could be accomplished and launched in this rare, strange space, but I think we should start with our inner worlds.
What’s my first memory of feeling anxious? Depressed? Less than? Not enough? Angry? Out of control? What lie was I believing about God in that memory? What lie was I believing about myself in that experience? What is Truth saying, instead?
Why do I react so fiercely to ___________. Lord, why does that/he/she trigger me? Show me what it is.
Lord, is there anything I’ve been stuffing that needs to be surfaced? Walk me through it, now.
That kind of thing.
And then, when we get to the working and doing – the cleaning and creating and dreaming, this inner work that we’ve started with God, it just continues. More will pop up, but instead of pushing it down and back, you let it come up and out. That’s where light comes in. That’s where healing is found.
Healing starts with feeling.
Jesus does the work of walking this out with you, so you’re not even alone in it. Hallelujah!
My word for today? Staring at it will enable you to turn from it.
A pain? An ache? A tendency? Look at it straight in the face and find what’s true.
An addiction? A fantasy? A bent that leaves you bruised? Don’t just dismiss it as sin. It IS that, but it keeps coming back because IT IS TRYING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING. It’s surfacing what needs fixed. Look at it! Do the digging. Walk through it with the Guide and Giver of All Good Things and find healing.
Staring at it will enable you to turn from it.
Spirit, lead us to freedom.
We can go places while staying at home.
We can go to the hard heart places and open the door and flip the switch and dawn the light again.
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(Inner work is led by The Spirit. But sometimes professional care is needed, too. Please seek out a therapist if the need arises.)
This is absolutely beautiful and a much needed reminder to continue to DIG. I have been in my season of digging since my mom’s passing. It’s been a season of learning God’s truth about who I am- as opposed to who I had been told I was my entire. It’s been so much digging and so much growing. Your words and Derek’s sermons have been the watering and planting of seeds to fill in where God knows I’ve struggled. Thank you! Love you all.
This right here was (and is still sometimes) a perfect description of me:
“Sometimes, people DO so that they don’t have to DIG. People are good at pacifying what their feelings and aches are trying to tell them, by preoccupying their minds with busyness.”
I need constant reminders to slow down, focus on what’s important, and prioritize my soul.
Thanks for this great blog post!