Ever have one of those times when someone decided to get honest with you and didn't give you fair warning? Man I hate that! Not that anyone should have to preface "truth" with "missile launch activated" or "prepare to duck", but I'm a consummate criticism dodger. It's not that I don't think that I need criticism... it's that I'm certain that I do! And it's probably gonna hurt. And I hate pain.
Oh, don't give me that "no pain, no gain" stuff. You hate it too! I'm not saying it's not necessary - I'm just saying I don't exactly enjoy it.
There are times though when someone, and let's grant them a pure motive, decides to reprove you and you walk away screaming to God, "What was THAT!?" Ever looked at a sister or brother in the Lord, made an assumption based on what you saw, only to find out how wrong you actually were? Ever been on the receiving end of the assumption?
This happened to me just recently. Father has so often said to me, "Denise, live in sober judgment of yourself; make sure that you live in truth." That's why when this "something" was shared with me initially there was an "ouch - that stung!" followed by weeping and gnashing of teeth all of which happened in private, of course. Outwardly, I took the word from my sister with grace, with an open mind, a willingness to search my own heart... And then I left the room, went straight to God and tattled! "But God, she said... and didn't I... and didn't You... and wasn't this..." Somewhere between my self-righteousness and my "low as a worm" theology is the truth.
It took me several days to break through the "what if this is still true about me?" "What if EVERYONE sees me this way?" When I finally got quiet, I heard "Better is open rebuke than love that is concealed." (Proverbs 27:5) The verse that follows that one is the familiar one: "faithful are the wounds of a friend..." Funny thing was... what the person said USED to be true of me. Not that I can't occasionally fall back into the trap, but for the most part, in this particular area... God has truly set me free and He told me so. But here's the thing: Through God's honest take on my sister's words, the painful rebuke suddenly became a healing reminder... there is an awesome responsibility to maintain our freedom from old strongholds by clinging to the only One who truly knows our hearts. Believer or not, one thing hasn't changed: we still can't save ourselves.
So when the missiles hit my heart and I'm not sure if it's a truth or a lie, whether friendly fire or flaming arrow, I'm choosing to take it back to the Truth and let Him set me free again... either from the sin that was revealed by the "hit" or the sin that was revealed by my reaction to the "hit". This way God seems to make every missile a part of His own arsenal for spiritual growth. It's a win-win. My self-righteousness gets a beating and the Truth sets me free. And the enemy gets a whoopin'.
Copyright 2007 Sharon Denise Dorminy
Oh, don't give me that "no pain, no gain" stuff. You hate it too! I'm not saying it's not necessary - I'm just saying I don't exactly enjoy it.
There are times though when someone, and let's grant them a pure motive, decides to reprove you and you walk away screaming to God, "What was THAT!?" Ever looked at a sister or brother in the Lord, made an assumption based on what you saw, only to find out how wrong you actually were? Ever been on the receiving end of the assumption?
This happened to me just recently. Father has so often said to me, "Denise, live in sober judgment of yourself; make sure that you live in truth." That's why when this "something" was shared with me initially there was an "ouch - that stung!" followed by weeping and gnashing of teeth all of which happened in private, of course. Outwardly, I took the word from my sister with grace, with an open mind, a willingness to search my own heart... And then I left the room, went straight to God and tattled! "But God, she said... and didn't I... and didn't You... and wasn't this..." Somewhere between my self-righteousness and my "low as a worm" theology is the truth.
It took me several days to break through the "what if this is still true about me?" "What if EVERYONE sees me this way?" When I finally got quiet, I heard "Better is open rebuke than love that is concealed." (Proverbs 27:5) The verse that follows that one is the familiar one: "faithful are the wounds of a friend..." Funny thing was... what the person said USED to be true of me. Not that I can't occasionally fall back into the trap, but for the most part, in this particular area... God has truly set me free and He told me so. But here's the thing: Through God's honest take on my sister's words, the painful rebuke suddenly became a healing reminder... there is an awesome responsibility to maintain our freedom from old strongholds by clinging to the only One who truly knows our hearts. Believer or not, one thing hasn't changed: we still can't save ourselves.
So when the missiles hit my heart and I'm not sure if it's a truth or a lie, whether friendly fire or flaming arrow, I'm choosing to take it back to the Truth and let Him set me free again... either from the sin that was revealed by the "hit" or the sin that was revealed by my reaction to the "hit". This way God seems to make every missile a part of His own arsenal for spiritual growth. It's a win-win. My self-righteousness gets a beating and the Truth sets me free. And the enemy gets a whoopin'.
