From The Writers Desk

Your Hood Is Ajar

DING! - Your Hood Is Ajar.

This is the message our car has been giving us for the past few months.  The first couple times this happened we pulled over and walked around front to find that the hood was perfectly fine. We’ve had the car into the shop twice and no one had been able to fix the problem. So, at random intervals once a week or five times a day we get the message that our hood is ajar.  now when this message comes up, we’ve reached the point where we simply push “okay” on the steering wheel and the message goes away.

Obviously there is a problem with our information system.  There is definitely something wrong (probably a bad sensor) but the car’s computer is interpreting the problem incorrectly. Yesterday when I heard the ding and saw this message pop up, I wondered how often I do this to myself, how often do I sense something wrong, find the wrong cause and send myself the wrong error message.

Getting The Wrong Messages

Of all the teachers, influencers and advisors we have throughout life, the person we get the most messages from and the person we listen to the most is ourself.  I can be pretty quick to diagnose what’s wrong with me and to send those error messages; you said the wrong thing, these people are better than you, you don’t work hard enough, you’re not good enough, etc.

Finding More Accurate Input

My perception of myself is often like the computer on our car, I can sense that there is something wrong but when I interpret the information I come up with the wrong diagnosis.  There is someone who has a completely accurate view of me and who has already shared his diagnosis of my problems.  Even where I see brokenness and problems, God sees me as valuable and effective for him.  In Ephesians 2:10 I am reminded that I am God’s workmanship, created to do his work.  In Psalm 139 David reminds me that God knows me completely, the good and the bad, and that I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  In Ephesians 1:4 I see that despite my flaws God selected me to be one of his own even before the world was formed, that I should be holy and blameless. Throughout the bible, God goes on and on in his diagnosis of me. I simply need to listen more to his voice than  my own.

Letting God's Voice Take Over

Read through chapters 1 & 2 of Ephesians today. Sit alone with these verses and concentrate on hearing God’s voice. Consider that these words apply to you personally and practice thinking of yourself the way God thinks of you.

DING – You Are Loved!

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Contagious Healing

From The Writer's Desk - January 30, 2021

I am blessed to help tell the stories of amazingly generous people who have experienced tremendous pain and who have found a way to start healing with God’s help.

Everything we do at LifeSupport starts with story because stories help people know each other, and gain insight about the messy parts of life. When one person shares their story of pain, struggle and healing, others can see that it’s possible to move forward through their own situation. My personal experience with addiction and recovery helped me see that sharing stories provides great opportunities to show others how God has been at work in our lives (often without us even knowing) and how he helps us heal.

Like most addicts, I was pretty self-centered, and my early recovery was no different. I would sit in rooms and listen to other people share their experiences and struggles with recovery, and I would process everything I heard in terms of how it would help me. Fortunately, God has his own design for our healing. I would eventually learn (through lots of stories) that recovery, like the rest of life, is a group activity. As I sat listening to the stories of other addicts, they were helping me heal, and my story became part of their healing too.

This same design applies to all of the struggles that people in the church face. When people have opportunities (and encouragement) to share their stories, hope and healing become contagious. The video stories collected in the LifeSupport Library provide opportunities for people to share stories and start healing.

If you or someone you love is on a healing journey, we want you to know that your healing can be multiplied many times over as your story is shared to encourage others. If you’d like to talk to us about your story please email us at shareyourstory@lifesupportresources.org.

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