We are all messed up

I was talking with a friend recently about a situation which revolves around a person who is a Christian and loves God but who is so completely caught up in their own issues that they are making life very difficult for themselves and those around them. This person is completely blind to the fact that much of their thoughts and behavior are driven by past hurts and present fears.

We tend to think that just because people are believers that they "have it all together". The reality is quite the opposite. We are a collection of fairly messed and sometimes downright dysfunctional people who happen to love God and seek to follow Him. We are in need of much healing. Like it or not we are more often than not driven by our past hurts, current desires, and fear of the future.

Quite often the message that we receive in our congregations is that since we have committed our hearts and lives to God, we don't need anything more; that we have somehow arrived. I think that such messages do all of us a great disservice. As followers of Yeshua, as people who desire to be holy and whole, we should be constantly striving to improve ourselves and freeing ourselves from these driving forces within us that lead to hurting ourselves and others. We need to be seeking God's face on a regular basis asking for Him to reveal to us where we need healing.

Quite often we are totally blind to the reality of this. We cannot see without careful self-awareness and introspection.

Where are you driven by past hurts? Do you react strongly to certain "triggers"? Are you harboring past resentments? Are you afraid of the future? Do you have inordinate desires for something?

These questions are difficult to face, but they must be on a regular basis if we are to grow into God's image. These things keep us from being unconditional love. We need to ruthlessly ferret them out of our lives through prayer, through reflection, and through talking with trusted friends or a spiritual leader.


peace,
izzy