The Lie I Almost Bought

My eyes were brimming and I had nothing to catch the slow motion cascade that was coming.  I’ve never been more thankful for sunglasses that know just how to hide the hurt. As I drove home, this unexpected release was evidence of a storm on the inside. A shaky “help,” escaped my lips as the downpour threatened to take over. 

The morning had gotten away from me.  The bickering, procrastinating, whining, and flat-out ignoring had all taken turns whittling away my resolve.  The conversation from the day before was set on repeat in my head, pausing every now and again so I could gather up my assumptions.  As I pulled up to a stoplight, it rose to the tip top of my meltdown: You are not heard.

Of course.

The light turned green and the faster I drove, the deeper these words traveled into my heart until at last I came to the conclusion that they must be true. I agreed and in a split second and that hurt twisted itself into an angry ball of pain. 

You are not heard, so just be quiet.

As I pulled into the driveway, I became strangely aware of a familiar pattern unfolding like a bad case of déjà vu.  It reminded me of the other conclusions I’d accepted over the years. I’d collected them and lined them up on the shelf of my heart, but all they did was mock me.

You are not accepted, so just stay out.

You are not worthy, so just walk away.

You are not enough, so just quit trying.

Be quiet. Stay out. Walk away. Quit trying.  Stunned as the truth of it slapped me in the face, I recognized the enemy behind this lie.  God doesn’t speak that way.  Those words clash 100% with His character; they contradict who He is. When He speaks, it sounds more like this:

You are heard, so ask, seek, knock.

You are accepted, so reach out in love.

You are worthy, so come close to Me.

You are enough, so accept this free gift I’ve given.

Ask. Reach out. Come close. Accept this. That’s Love full of truth.  Jesus did not die to save us and forgive us and make us whole again so we would be silent, absent, neutral or defeated.  When He gave His life and rose from the grave, sin and death were conquered.  And so was our enemy... forever.

Because of Jesus, you are heard.

Because of Jesus, you are accepted.

Because of Jesus, you are enough.

And because of Jesus and His victory, the enemy will always try to get you to believe otherwise.