"For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged."
1 Corinthians 11:31
This is an interesting statement, and one that I think points to the real goal of our lives. We are God's children, and just like earthly children, the idea is not to remain young and dependent on our parents our whole lives, but to grow up and learn to do the things that they do. With God it is more perfect, since he doesn't model bad habits like we do, and there is a lot more to learn, but the idea is the same. We should recognize the deficits in our lives and do something about them instead of staying stuck in the same rut or waiting until our lives go into meltdown mode before we take action. Unfortunately, that is the way that we often learn. We don't want to face the hard things, so we put them off and put them off, and sometimes it seems to work. They resolve themselves when we ignore them. However, this strategy is not a great one long term, since it teaches us nothing about how to face the problem when it doesn't go away on its own... and by that time it is gigantic, and unusually grouchy.
When we refuse to face things, God sometimes needs to step into our lives and show us what is happening. He judges that the time is far past that we should have dealt with this issue, and we really need to learn it. Unfortunately, sometimes the only way to get us to take action is showing us how our lives are melting down because of inaction.
I don't like meltdown mode at all. It stresses me out, and makes me feel out of control and like I can't handle anything. :) But I live there too often because I put off important decisions and refuse to solve problems until they're big enough to eat me. So today, join me in working on staying out of meltdown mode, and tackling some long-term issues. No, it isn't fun, and yes, it feels overwhelming... but I think we all know, from this verse and from personal experience, that it is better to face the problems when they are smaller and less grouchy. Let's get in there, figure out what we need to change, and make a plan. And let's support each other in this. Even the most even-tempered problems can get scary when we let them go a long time... it's hard for all of us.
1 Corinthians 11:31
This is an interesting statement, and one that I think points to the real goal of our lives. We are God's children, and just like earthly children, the idea is not to remain young and dependent on our parents our whole lives, but to grow up and learn to do the things that they do. With God it is more perfect, since he doesn't model bad habits like we do, and there is a lot more to learn, but the idea is the same. We should recognize the deficits in our lives and do something about them instead of staying stuck in the same rut or waiting until our lives go into meltdown mode before we take action. Unfortunately, that is the way that we often learn. We don't want to face the hard things, so we put them off and put them off, and sometimes it seems to work. They resolve themselves when we ignore them. However, this strategy is not a great one long term, since it teaches us nothing about how to face the problem when it doesn't go away on its own... and by that time it is gigantic, and unusually grouchy.
When we refuse to face things, God sometimes needs to step into our lives and show us what is happening. He judges that the time is far past that we should have dealt with this issue, and we really need to learn it. Unfortunately, sometimes the only way to get us to take action is showing us how our lives are melting down because of inaction.
I don't like meltdown mode at all. It stresses me out, and makes me feel out of control and like I can't handle anything. :) But I live there too often because I put off important decisions and refuse to solve problems until they're big enough to eat me. So today, join me in working on staying out of meltdown mode, and tackling some long-term issues. No, it isn't fun, and yes, it feels overwhelming... but I think we all know, from this verse and from personal experience, that it is better to face the problems when they are smaller and less grouchy. Let's get in there, figure out what we need to change, and make a plan. And let's support each other in this. Even the most even-tempered problems can get scary when we let them go a long time... it's hard for all of us.
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