Thursday, December 22, 2016

WHAT LIES BENEATH CAN BE FRIGHTENING





Oh the sheer beauty of a fresh fallen snow.  The white snow covers a multitude of ugly underneath it.  Lying beneath this beautiful white snow lies and ugly mess of leaves we didn't get picked up in time before the first blast of winter.  I can't even describe the amount of nuts that lie under the snow, we have so many nut trees in our yard that we have a zoo full of squirrels.  And then there are the dead flowers I decided not to get rid of, after all they can wait til spring, right?  I mean seriously look at this picture.  It's amazing and breathtaking.  You'd never know the ugly mess that lies beneath the snow.  It's all covered up and appears pristine.  Almost like a picture post card, until spring.

In spring the mess and ugliness that lies hidden under all that snow will be revealed.  That's when the real work begins.  Our lives are so much like the weather.  Think about it when life is hard we say we're going through a storm.  When life is going great, it's all sunshine and roses.  Then winter hits and life becomes stale and dormant and dry.  It just feels like there is no life left in us.  We feel cold and harsh and bitter, we long for the sun to shine but when it finally does, when the snow finally melts, then we have to begin to regrow and face the ugly mess we have made of our lives.  

Ephesians 4:21-24  assuming that you have heard about and were taught in Him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires. and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. 




Renewal, getting rid of the old stuff is not easy. Transformation can be painful and downright scary.  When I think about getting down on my knees starting to prune bushes and dig out plants that died and raking up those old mushy leaves, my body starts to shake.  Whether your transforming a garden or your life, either way, it can be and it will be a painful process.  As for our life, we need to get rid of the old way of thinking, the old way of talking and the old way of living.  When Jesus Christ began the transformation process in me, I had to face the reality of who I had become and I had to chose to be ready to get my hands and knees dirty as I dug into places and people and hurts and hangups and attitudes and mood swings and a past that left me damaged.  

I had to do a deep heart check and a deep attitude adjustment.  I had to make sure I used the proper tools to dig down deep to get out the roots of the problems.  Just like when your digging up a weed in your garden, if you don't get to the root of the weed, it will just keep coming back up.  In our lives we need to deal with the root of our issues.  We need to STOP BLAMING OTHERS.  We need to be honest and real with ourselves.  Trust me God already knows the problem with your life is you.  And until you face reality and allow God to deal honestly you and allow Him to do the painful process of transformation, your life won't be any better.  

I had to get rid of people in my life who tried to get me tangled in their webs, I had to stop reading books that were morally questionable.  I had to stop watching violent TV shows and movies.  I had to stop listening to some of the music I listened to.  I had to stop watching and listening and reading things that didn't make me feel good.  I lost some friendships and I ticked off some family members.  I was being way to radical, but I had to.  It was my choice to go all the way with Jesus.  I didn't want my former way of life.  I didn't want the snow to continue to cover stuff I needed to deal with and get rid of.  I wanted to change.  I wanted to grow.  

You don't have to do anything.  You can remain watching and reading and listening to the same old stuff you have for years, and you'll remain the same.  Or you can take a chance and make a change and reach for the stars.  Get rid of that snow and deal with what lies beneath.  You just may find that you like being a Jesus Freak like me.   


1 comment:

  1. Thank You good to open old wounds to heal to take away the scar(s) it left. b;;ed the Blood of the King. my Lord Jesus unto his Lord Father. Now in belief our Father also in equality thanks to Jesus's death first fro that to be. Then new life given in the risen Life of Christ

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