Nothing He Can't Handle
I know it's not New Year's yet, but I've been reflecting quite a bit over 2016 lately. Sometimes I think people get a little OD'd on all of the posts that come around January 1, and occasionally all of the resolution and reflection can get overwhelming. With finals week upon me, learning to split holidays between my family and Jordan's, wedding planning, the election ruckus that keeps coming up on my news feed, and the tragedy that just struck Sioux Falls fresh in my head, my mind has been racing in all sorts of directions.
You know, worry and depression are best friends. I swear they go together better than peanut butter and jelly. It's an unfortunate thing that negatives come in pairs, and Satan loves to unleash them together, especially around the holidays. His other favorites are tragedy and despair, along with failure and unforgiveness (especially of one's self). Sometimes the devil's pets travel in packs, seeking to prey on the vulnerable. Once one of these things get you down, it's easy for the others to pile on, and soon you're so low that any light that shines in your life seems very dim.
What a sorry sounding paragraph that was.
I'm writing this from the perspective of someone who battles some of these on a regular basis (as you may remember from my last post), and I can tell you that I have been in some pretty low places. Satan absolutely loves to kick you when you're down and pile it on like there's no tomorrow. It is sooo easy once your mind is in a dark spot to wallow in it and want to stay put. It's too tiring to do anything else. The negative thoughts run circles in your mind and all you can do is watch. Maybe try to tell them to stop. How often do we succeed on our own?
Literally next to never.
We are humans. We are not God. We can't solve things on our own. We can't comprehend tragedy. It is impossible for us to understand why horrible, confusing, disgusting things happen and how they fit into the grand scheme of things. Death, rape, vices, addictions, poverty, injury, illness.... We are not made for any of it! We are made for good. Humans are made for greatness, for happiness and joy.
When we're in the rut of despair, worry, or unforgiveness, how do we get out? The obvious answer is God. Well, yes, Mikaela, of course the answer is God! But that doesn't really help me get back to a place of happiness. How does one give it to God? Honestly, I think that is one of the hardest things to do, and it isn't just a one and done type of deal. It starts with the basic acknowledgement that God is God. There is absolutely nothing He can't handle. He has the ability and desire to carry any load we ask him to. That in and of itself is a relief. But the next step is really difficult, and that is actually letting go of whatever is holding us down.
For example, my tendency to worry is something that causes me to battle depression. Being the Type-A person that I am, I like to be in control of things, and not knowing what the future holds an be a major point of stress. What if this, what if that.... it's mentally exhausting. It all ferments in my brain and once I start to think about one thing, I think about everything. Now, I know that God's got this. I know! But it's so very hard for me to actually give my struggles to Him. It's like they've grown tentacles into my heart and if I let God take them, it'll hurt me. It might rip part of me away with it.
Yeah. It'll rip part of me away.
When you give something over to God to handle, it does take part of you away. And it is uncomfortable. You see, those struggles you won't let go of have cut off some of the supply of God's love to your heart! He's pouring His love out for you; it's just not reaching. That area of your heart is dying. So when you give whatever it is that has got such a strong hold on you over to the Lord, that dead tissue gets ripped away, too. But it's replaced with new, stronger tissue that is much better for you and is able to fight off what the old part of your heart wasn't. Not only that, but that new part of your heart is filled with His love and peace. That creates a healthy area for joy to live in. Joy is the epitome of happiness; it's what we're made for!
Why are we scared to admit that we need to get rid of something that is holding us down? Because we know it'll hurt to give up. But we also know that if we keep allowing that vice to keep squeezing, more of our heart will start to die. It's a long process, deciding to give it up. We often decide to let Him take it, but pull back at the last second when we feel the initial pain of letting it go. The worst pain of taking out a sliver is when you first start digging for it, but once it is actually being pulled out it isn't bad at all. Especially if it's done by a professional. God is the best surgeon. He can handle even the biggest, strongest, most suffocating issues we are dealing with and delicately close the wound they caused. What a feeling it is to be liberated from carrying such heavy burdens and for our hearts to receive a greater capacity of His love for us!
What I'm trying to say is that everyone struggles, and one of the biggest issues with those struggles is the fact that it's so hard to turn it over to God. Humans are stubborn little buggers! But we have to remember that He can handle anything that we give Him. And when we finally let go, once that dead area of our heart is gutted and replaced, we are filled with the peace and joy of knowing that whatever happens in this life is going to be handled by our Creator. That is truly freeing.
You know, worry and depression are best friends. I swear they go together better than peanut butter and jelly. It's an unfortunate thing that negatives come in pairs, and Satan loves to unleash them together, especially around the holidays. His other favorites are tragedy and despair, along with failure and unforgiveness (especially of one's self). Sometimes the devil's pets travel in packs, seeking to prey on the vulnerable. Once one of these things get you down, it's easy for the others to pile on, and soon you're so low that any light that shines in your life seems very dim.
What a sorry sounding paragraph that was.
I'm writing this from the perspective of someone who battles some of these on a regular basis (as you may remember from my last post), and I can tell you that I have been in some pretty low places. Satan absolutely loves to kick you when you're down and pile it on like there's no tomorrow. It is sooo easy once your mind is in a dark spot to wallow in it and want to stay put. It's too tiring to do anything else. The negative thoughts run circles in your mind and all you can do is watch. Maybe try to tell them to stop. How often do we succeed on our own?
Literally next to never.
We are humans. We are not God. We can't solve things on our own. We can't comprehend tragedy. It is impossible for us to understand why horrible, confusing, disgusting things happen and how they fit into the grand scheme of things. Death, rape, vices, addictions, poverty, injury, illness.... We are not made for any of it! We are made for good. Humans are made for greatness, for happiness and joy.
When we're in the rut of despair, worry, or unforgiveness, how do we get out? The obvious answer is God. Well, yes, Mikaela, of course the answer is God! But that doesn't really help me get back to a place of happiness. How does one give it to God? Honestly, I think that is one of the hardest things to do, and it isn't just a one and done type of deal. It starts with the basic acknowledgement that God is God. There is absolutely nothing He can't handle. He has the ability and desire to carry any load we ask him to. That in and of itself is a relief. But the next step is really difficult, and that is actually letting go of whatever is holding us down.
For example, my tendency to worry is something that causes me to battle depression. Being the Type-A person that I am, I like to be in control of things, and not knowing what the future holds an be a major point of stress. What if this, what if that.... it's mentally exhausting. It all ferments in my brain and once I start to think about one thing, I think about everything. Now, I know that God's got this. I know! But it's so very hard for me to actually give my struggles to Him. It's like they've grown tentacles into my heart and if I let God take them, it'll hurt me. It might rip part of me away with it.
Yeah. It'll rip part of me away.
When you give something over to God to handle, it does take part of you away. And it is uncomfortable. You see, those struggles you won't let go of have cut off some of the supply of God's love to your heart! He's pouring His love out for you; it's just not reaching. That area of your heart is dying. So when you give whatever it is that has got such a strong hold on you over to the Lord, that dead tissue gets ripped away, too. But it's replaced with new, stronger tissue that is much better for you and is able to fight off what the old part of your heart wasn't. Not only that, but that new part of your heart is filled with His love and peace. That creates a healthy area for joy to live in. Joy is the epitome of happiness; it's what we're made for!
Why are we scared to admit that we need to get rid of something that is holding us down? Because we know it'll hurt to give up. But we also know that if we keep allowing that vice to keep squeezing, more of our heart will start to die. It's a long process, deciding to give it up. We often decide to let Him take it, but pull back at the last second when we feel the initial pain of letting it go. The worst pain of taking out a sliver is when you first start digging for it, but once it is actually being pulled out it isn't bad at all. Especially if it's done by a professional. God is the best surgeon. He can handle even the biggest, strongest, most suffocating issues we are dealing with and delicately close the wound they caused. What a feeling it is to be liberated from carrying such heavy burdens and for our hearts to receive a greater capacity of His love for us!
What I'm trying to say is that everyone struggles, and one of the biggest issues with those struggles is the fact that it's so hard to turn it over to God. Humans are stubborn little buggers! But we have to remember that He can handle anything that we give Him. And when we finally let go, once that dead area of our heart is gutted and replaced, we are filled with the peace and joy of knowing that whatever happens in this life is going to be handled by our Creator. That is truly freeing.
Wow Mikaela, your words perfectly describe the process that God led and loved me through over the past 5 years (give or take). He was preparing me to navigate a tumultuous time of cancer diagnosis, family drama, and the illumination if ancient wounds festering below the surface ..... healing my heart with flames of desire to trust Him above all. In your writing, this journey's purpose is revealed - to see each trial of faith as the necessary mortar to brace my shelter against the maelstrom that is my life of late.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rita! I'm glad you found it relatable.
DeleteMikaela - it was more than relatable - it is a tidy summary of the "trust and suffering" motif that has been woven throughout my thoughts, prayers, and mediation since before the last Search - and you wrapped it up in a pretty package and placed a bow on it for me.... thanks
DeleteI can relate. My life has been very stormy over the last year, and I think God has allowed me the opportunity to write about my struggles and use that to help provide clarity to others who are suffering.
DeleteI am humbled that the Lord placed my writing in your path and that He is speaking to you in the way He is; thanks so much for sharing with me :)
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