Are you striving to meet a certain expectation? How does it make you feel when you can never exceed it, let alone meet it?
We are surrounded by a world that, manipulated by the enemy and our own sinful desires, bombards us with the message that we have to meet a certain expectation, fit into a certain mold.
And while detecting this lie might seem challenging when speaking of our physical appearance, it is an entirely different ballgame when we try to detect the lie as it pertains to our being. What am I talking about? I'm talking about our personalities, our walk with the Lord, our maturity and understanding of the Way, and the steps we take in following after Jesus.
I've been living in this lie for quite a while. Here's the sad part: I didn't even know I believed those lies.
It has taken me years to actually detect the pain I was in, to acknowledge the pain (because even after detecting it, I still denied the pain in my soul), and to realize that those expectations are not right. THEY ARE NOT RIGHT.
Oh, how painful it is to try to act like a kangaroo when I've been a dolphin all along! How can I hop like a kangaroo and carry 'my young' ones with me, when I don't even have legs or a marsupial pouch?
But I realized that what pained me the most, what took me into numbness, was that these expectations were set by fellow believers. strong believers.
If we speak in tongues, angelic and human, and don't have love - we are nothing. If we speak truth, and speak without love - it's like rubbing a towel of glass shards over raw skin. If we speak lies, and and do so kindly - the piercings that are made will go so deep into a person's soul, it will settle down where truth was to abide.
In a loving way, I was told lies that settled down deep in my soul. And while there is much pain associated with it, I thank the Lord that He has made me aware of this so that I don't do the same thing to others; but, most importantly, to ask for forgiveness of those to whom I have already wounded in similar fashion.
I must be careful with what I say to other believers; I do not want to perpetuate a lie or introduce one to their souls. How do I prevent this? Hiding His word in my heart, being filled with the Spirit of Love, obeying His command to love others as myself. All this so that I may be used as an instrument to build up the Church, not tear it down; to elevate my brethren, not weigh them down with impossible burdens; to Shine like the Son, not dim or overcast fellow believer's Light.
So what specific lies about my personality and walk with God am I referring to? Part 2 will detail the darkness behind the lies.
Meantime, I pray the Lord allows us to detect the lie of 'having to meet or exceed' someone's expectations and moves us to healing, so that we may be able to minister to others who are still trying to reach the end of the race but are racing inside a hamster ball.
We are surrounded by a world that, manipulated by the enemy and our own sinful desires, bombards us with the message that we have to meet a certain expectation, fit into a certain mold.
And while detecting this lie might seem challenging when speaking of our physical appearance, it is an entirely different ballgame when we try to detect the lie as it pertains to our being. What am I talking about? I'm talking about our personalities, our walk with the Lord, our maturity and understanding of the Way, and the steps we take in following after Jesus.
I've been living in this lie for quite a while. Here's the sad part: I didn't even know I believed those lies.
It has taken me years to actually detect the pain I was in, to acknowledge the pain (because even after detecting it, I still denied the pain in my soul), and to realize that those expectations are not right. THEY ARE NOT RIGHT.
Oh, how painful it is to try to act like a kangaroo when I've been a dolphin all along! How can I hop like a kangaroo and carry 'my young' ones with me, when I don't even have legs or a marsupial pouch?
But I realized that what pained me the most, what took me into numbness, was that these expectations were set by fellow believers. strong believers.
If we speak in tongues, angelic and human, and don't have love - we are nothing. If we speak truth, and speak without love - it's like rubbing a towel of glass shards over raw skin. If we speak lies, and and do so kindly - the piercings that are made will go so deep into a person's soul, it will settle down where truth was to abide.
In a loving way, I was told lies that settled down deep in my soul. And while there is much pain associated with it, I thank the Lord that He has made me aware of this so that I don't do the same thing to others; but, most importantly, to ask for forgiveness of those to whom I have already wounded in similar fashion.
I must be careful with what I say to other believers; I do not want to perpetuate a lie or introduce one to their souls. How do I prevent this? Hiding His word in my heart, being filled with the Spirit of Love, obeying His command to love others as myself. All this so that I may be used as an instrument to build up the Church, not tear it down; to elevate my brethren, not weigh them down with impossible burdens; to Shine like the Son, not dim or overcast fellow believer's Light.
So what specific lies about my personality and walk with God am I referring to? Part 2 will detail the darkness behind the lies.
Meantime, I pray the Lord allows us to detect the lie of 'having to meet or exceed' someone's expectations and moves us to healing, so that we may be able to minister to others who are still trying to reach the end of the race but are racing inside a hamster ball.
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