If I Could Tell You
By
Lexi Ellis
”If
we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”
Galatians 5:25 (ESV)
I recently re-read
prayers and journaling I had written a while back. Some were written a couple
of years ago after a friend confided in me she was struggling with eating
issues, despite our thinking she was doing great. My heart was aching and, in
this specific situation, I couldn’t talk to anyone about it…except my
all-knowing God. I asked for the right words to say, if any, and for the Holy
Spirit living in her to convict her to do the hard work and get help. I wrote:
You told me your
secret today. I’m not going “to tell.” But if I could tell you, I’d
say it’s much easier “getting by” than joyfully living, because real
living requires encountering scary things. It requires dealing with this stuff.
It requires surrendering the control of
“I-can-do-this-on-my-own” and recognizing there’s life beyond this.
If I could tell you, I’d talk about God’s command to “address” our
struggles - - that sometimes we need to work and wrestle with hard things. So
right now, I’m praying for the Holy Spirit to speak into your life. I’m praying
the Holy Spirit speaks to me about what words and when. If I could tell you,
I’d say I’m heartbroken for you and I want you to address this because I love
you like crazy. [1]
In Hebrews 12:1-3, the
author acknowledges sin that “so easily entangles.” Because of this, we need to
“throw off everything that hinders.” By addressing struggles and sin in our
lives, we become available to “fix to our eyes on Jesus.” Our entangling sin
and struggles can’t separated from our relationship with God. We need to reject
complacency - - a much easier choice - - and choose an active-ness to identify
struggles and sin and do something about them. It’s not to try to achieve
perfection, but to continually be working on “our stuff” to remove barriers in
our relationship with Christ.
My friend recognized
her struggle prevented a closeness with God and others. I’m so thankful she
made the hard choice to address it. As I read through my journal and prayers
for her, I went back to give Him prayers of thanks.
My friends, what
obstacles in our lives inhibit our relationship with our Creator? If I could
tell you, we need to address them. If I could tell you, a deep relationship
with Christ means we release our control and continually deal with our
struggles and sins.
GOING FURTHER:
1. What sin or
struggle is inhibiting your intimacy with God? How do you need to address it?
2. For whom can you be
actively committed to pray?
GOING DEEPER:
[1] edited for privacy
and space
Lexi teaches sixth
grade. She and her husband, Andrew, have a dog named Calvin. She serves with
Oakwood’s Children’s Ministries and is the Fresh Start Coordinator.
