My health status – especially my mental health - and the status of one of my computers has so much in common. We are both on the older side, feel a little heavier, and function a bit slower. We think more, and we think a while longer. The delay in response goes along with many frustrations, to the user, as well as anyone dealing with the user. Staring at that spinning circle – waiting… waiting… is a patience-test.
‘Reboot’, ‘restart’ and if you are a tiny bit more fancy (mac), ‘force quit’, becomes your only option. It is that one choice that makes your life a little bit easier – a choice to change. I have also tried a few other ways to speed up the thinking process, by cleaning the inbox of all the junk mail, going to the bin and get rid of the trash. It worked.
‘Thinking’ is not always a bad thing. But to DO better and BE better can feel overwhelming to all of us, especially when you are an over-thinker, like me. In one of my thinking sessions, and while doing that dreaded task of cleaning up my inbox, I have learned that God is never overwhelmed by all the trash (sin) and junk in our lives. He longs for us to make that choice to get cleaned up. He is waiting for us to ask Him to take charge and help us change. He longs to forgive us, fix us, and free us from all our fears, falls and failures. And it all starts with FAITH.
What trash (sin) are you still storing in your inbox? Which junk is slowing you down? But checking that inbox of ours is not enough. Our reflections should turn into actions.
“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” (James 2: 26)
Psalm 51: 7, 10 “Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Create in me a pure heart, o God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” A certain way to get ourselves into motion is to ask ourselves what is being stolen from us while there is the delay, or even the hesitation of throwing out the junk.
What has been stolen? And what is being stolen at this very moment? Reflecting on this - taking an inventory - will get you off your seat in no time. I remember my steps after a robbery at our house a few years back. I have walked from room to room, cupboard to cupboard, back and forth to make sure we get us much of the value of the stolen goods back from the insurance. I also remember how violated and vulnerable I felt. The thieves did not only steal my earthly belongings, but also got hold of some of my mental and spiritual belongings. But while taking the inventory, HOPE arise: I might just get back some of it, or better yet – all of it.
I made sure to not leave out a single thing that was stolen from me. This is what we need to do when a sin in our lives is stealing from us. We have the assurance that with our insurance, we will not only get back what is stolen from us, but also what has been stolen from our loved ones. This is not the time to self-soothe. It is time seek rest and face the fact of what has been taken away from us. It is time to make an honest assessment of how our lives have been affected by the thieves in our lives. This takes courage, humility and trust. It does not help at all hiding or lying to the insurance, or to ourselves.
Other times, we are hoarders – on our computers, in our houses and in our lives. There are so many unwanted stuff and junk that we don’t have enough space for what we actually need. Ask yourself if you need to keep these things in your life, or do you need to let it go. Stop lying to yourself. You have to get real with your sin to get rid of it.
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
Figure your trigger. Ask questions. Why do you feel that you still need this in your life? Why do you think you need to keep this? This sin? Our minds need to start to rule over our hearts. The famous worldly saying of “Follow your heart” should be thrown into that bin to start with. Our hearts are deceitful. Jeremiah 17: 9 “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
Once you have figured out the trigger, know who’s got your back. Have accountability buddies around every corner. They are someone who believes in you, who are on your side and the ones who keep your hopes up.
Proverbs 27: 17 “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
James 5: 16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
Jesus came to bring good news, heal the broken hearted, set the captives free, give sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and to bring hope, light and life. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1: 9). As far as the east is from the west, so far will He remove our transgressions from us (Psalm 103: 12).
Don’t quit! It is never too late, and our sin is never too great.
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