Healing or Being Poisoned?

As I’ve gone through the past few days, my emotions have run their course…or so I thought.  Each day is a whole new experience.  Some of the emotions are necessary to healing; others become poison which could eventually kill me.  Kind of like those people who are slowly poisoned by food or their environment.  Or kind of like chemotherapy…the cure can kill you.  So how do we heal without being poisoned?

1)    Some people use avoidance.  Don’t allow the healing emotions, and you don’t have to deal with the destructive ones.  Actually, I know a lot of those people.  They really aren’t healthy or happy.

2)    Feel every emotion that comes along.  That’s how we sink into depression, or other destructive emotions.

3)    That leaves us with dealing with it.  But how?

            a.     Good friends go a long way.  They go with you on the journey and they suffer through your pity party and they give you advice you often don’t want to hear.  Make sure you have good friends in your life for times of trouble.  (Of course make sure to reciprocate when it’s their turn!)

            b.    Learn what are healthy emotions and unhealthy ones.  Figure out how long is “normal” for you (though I do like the saying…”normal is just a setting on your washing machine.”)  Ecclesiastes tells us that there is a time (or season) for everything.  Learn what that is.  Then figure out how to pick yourself up by the bootstraps and move on.

            c.    Don’t try to go it alone.  Seek God and listen when He speaks!  You might say that I should have listed God above friends…well, you might have stopped reading at point one.  The truth is that though God made us for His pleasure, He also made us to live in community.    Too often we don’t have those people around us to hold us accountable, to help us, to intercede on our behalf.  And though God tells us His grace is sufficient and that in our weakness He is strong…we often fail in feeling His strength and love, and need the gentle touch of a loving friend, a kind word of encouragement.

So go ahead and learn what the healthy and poisonous emotions in you are.  Figure out what formula works best for you in being healthy.  And remember that part of being created in God’s image is having emotions (He’s a very emotional God.)  Embrace that part of yourself.  And then try to be like Him with those emotions.

Giving Ourselves

The nature of some of my work is in showing people the difference between helping vs. enabling them.  This week I was reminded of a very important component to helping.

In this day and age, we are quick to write a check or even give a few dollars to someone on the street.  But it isn't always money they need.  Oh, they may want it, and they may take it, but it's not what they need.

Helping Hands Gospel Mission has a policy of not giving gas cards to people without a valid driver's license and proof of insurance.  We don't want to encourage anyone to break the law, and both of those are law in Wisconsin.  Someone I have been working with for a bit asked for gas.  She couldn't afford to even register her car.  I could have offered her cab fare, but instead chose to offer to take her to the store myself.  (Trust me, it was divine leading and not thoughtfulness on my part.)

Now you have to know me to understand that shopping is not my passion.  I typically run to the store on the spur of the moment, doing as many things as possible in the shortest amount of time when there are the fewest number of people in the store.  I have been known to fill a cart and be back on the road in record time.  So taking the time to schedule a trip to the store, and wait for someone who had limited resources to figure out how to purchase some necessities was not part of my game plan.

I realized something in that process.  We give too much money and not enough of ourselves.  This person knew the sacrifice to give her my time, and I knew in that moment that today's world is too disconnected.  We text, we tweet, we Facebook, but we don't give people time.  Our presence has the same power of Jesus'.  It's through our time and presence that we touch their hearts and lives.

While at the store doing some of my own shopping, I ran into someone from church and had a wonderful chat, catching up like you don't get to in the hustle and bustle of a Sunday morning.  On my way out I ran into a woman from the assisted living home I do Sunday services at and chatted briefly.  This was the first time we were able to connect beyond the superficial, "Hi, are you coming to services today?"  For the first time she knew that I knew who she was, and that I cared about her as a person.  I'm curious to see if she decides to come to church services now, or how she might greet me when I'm visiting the home.

Oh, and the person I took shopping in the first place.  She asked me to pick her up for church Sunday morning.  It all makes me wonder how many divine appointments I've missed by producing quantity vs. quality!

Perfection

We often talk about being “Christ-like.”  Many moan that we’ll never achieve that perfection.  But how often do we think about how God has lowered Himself to be seen through us in this dark world?  

Think about it…

David…a man after God’s own heart…blew it several times

Moses…the most humble of men…messed up and missed out on the Promised Land

Noah…trusted to save the planet…got drunk

Solomon…wisest man ever to live…not smart enough to listen to God’s warnings

…the list goes on…you get it.

The attainment of perfection is one we place on ourselves…a goal we can’t meet.  We set ourselves up for failure.  All the while God has come to our level,   First He lowered Himself (as mentioned in Hebrews 2) to live among us and save us.  Secondly He allows us, in our imperfection, to share His name…Christian (Acts 11.)  God uses us (not holy angels) to be the light in this dark world and salt of the earth (Matthew 5.)   Yes, He uses us in our imperfect state.

I’m not saying we should avoid trying to better ourselves or more like Him…I’m just saying God doesn’t expect what we can’t achieve…why do we?