Do you ever have those seasons in life, a day, a week, a month, maybe longer, where it seems that everything you say or do makes your situation worse? You can’t say anything right and realize each choice you make should have been the other option instead of the one you chose?

 

I watched an episode of a medical drama a couple of weeks ago and I was reminded of a scene from it this morning. A patient had been brought in who was all wrapped up in razor wire from head to toe. She had fallen into a pile of it and became tangled. She was unconscious when she was brought in and the doctors started to carefully work on her by clipping the wires into smaller sections so they could remove it piece by piece. She came to but was in a state of confusion and began moving and flailing, as much as she could, which only made the situation worse. It caused the sharp edges to cut her more than they already had and areas of the wire wrapped tighter around her. It was difficult to watch. The doctors stood there not sure what to do other than talk to her, loudly, trying to calm her down.

 

Finally, one of the doctors pursed his lips and grabbed hold of the woman to hold her still. In return, he received cuts from the wire himself. He sacrificed his own flesh, endured pain and bleeding, to save her. Once she stopped moving, he told her everything was going to be okay and he meant it.

 

Now, had the woman just lay there and not move, the doctors could have gone about their work and remove all the wire, stitch her up and send her on her way. Instead she freaked out and caused herself more damage and hurt the one closest to her.

 

Sometimes I fall into a pile of it and become tangled. Sometimes I find myself waking up in a confused state (not literally), and I start flailing about making the situation worse. In the process, we end up hurting those closest to us even though we don’t mean to. We do this with our words, our worry, our fear, our choices made out of haste.

 

I thought about that woman in the episode and the doctor who sacrificed himself to save her. It reminded me of what Jesus did by choosing to follow the path God put in front of him.

 

He looked out and saw a sea of people bound up in wire and sacrificed himself, endured pain and bleeding, to save them.

 

That’s the God I serve. That’s the Jesus I love. That’s the Lord who loves me.

 

When we find ourselves in situations where we are flailing about and our heads are down, everything we touch turns to a pile of garbage, our faith walk is looking more like a newborn cow than a man/woman of God…be still.

 

Be still.

 

Be still and know who He is.

 

Be still. Be quiet.

 

Listen for His voice.

 

He already jumped in and sacrificed Himself on the cross, now we have to listen to, and for, His voice so He can explain what happens next and hold us as we have the wire taken off and our wounds stitched up.

 

As the necklace in the picture shows, believe, have strength and don’t look back because that’s not where you are headed. No need to beat yourself up over your mistakes. Each moment is a new opportunity to take hold of the promises of God. Snatch them up like a kid on Easter on an egg hunt!

I encourage you to challenge yourself to only speak positive things for a day. Only speak good things for a day. If you start to speak negatively about anything, stop, even if it’s mid-sentence. Try it for one day. Here’s a shocker, you may not be able to do it. Here’s another shocker, you might just be able to.

 

Either way, make the effort! Effort can change your course. Effort separates you out from the ones not making any. If there are 10 people lined up to start a race and only one person makes the effort when the shot goes off, they are the ones ahead of the game while everyone else is still at the starting line. They are one step closer to the prize. They are the ones advancing around the track. They are ones in a different place than where they were.

 

 

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.