Truth Sessions: RESET

Then I’ll tell the world what I find, speak out boldly in public, unembarrassed.
Psalm 119:48 MSG

Not up for grabs.

Before. Nothing had been off limits. I believed that ministry should be rooted in a level of transparency that aims to dig deeper than the norm. I’ve shared things here that I never anticipated I’d confide even within the trusted safety of a private conversation, let alone within the “hold your breath and post to the world wide web” moment. But God knows me well, and the hiding eventually feels harder than the fearful aftermath of sharing. So I keep digging. 

However, these past — too many — months have been different, an assault on the most intimate of my spaces: marriage, parenting, friendships, church. The war had left me feeling voiceless. Strangled.

I could feel an actual slipping away of myself — darkness clawing into the most mundane parts of my routine. Too fragile to risk a shatter, I needed a rescue rope like never before.

It’s telling how we hide our brokenness from one another, assuming we’ll be more ashamed if others get a peek into the details of our everyday battles. But we aren’t uniquely hopeless. No matter how impossible or downright embarrassing the struggle, we’ve got the same “untouchable” topics robbing our hearts blind.  Common denominators.

Call it by name.

With fearful resolve, I made the call I never thought I’d dare to make.  My pride cast aside, the unforgettable voice of that gentle counselor washed over me like a cleansing wave, as I shared the impossible with a perfect stranger.  “Dear one, we’re absolutely going to get you help. But first, would it be ok if we just prayed?” And with the closing of my eyes, I cried hard, silent tears as I heard, not her, but my Father bathing me in His loving, kind, generous truths. Truths I’ve believed for everyone else, but promises, somewhere along the path, I’d stopped believing over my own life. 

Right there, in a single moment, a small but piercing sliver of light began to penetrate the walls of the pit, and I knew now the real work could begin.

This season has caused a lot of usable, healthy introspection, exposing a root cause driven by one simple word. Shame. It’s something that attaches itself to most all of us. We just carry it differently, making it more complicated to identify, at times. Some of us (choose to) hide it well, while others wrap it right around our shoulders, allowing the weight to be both seen and felt by those around us. 

But shame, in whatever shape or seemingly insurmountable size, has a common origin: A lie. Delivered from the mouth of an enemy whose aim is to TAKE YOU OUT.  Its power confines us to the mire and muck, which, ironically, should be the dead giveaway that we are being deceived.

Yet our Father’s voice remains a constant compass, bright shining with open-handed truths, His promises remain:

He lifted me out of the pit of despair,
out of the mud and the mire.
He set my feet on solid ground
and steadied me as I walked along.
He has given me a new song to sing,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see what he has done and be amazed.
They will put their trust in the Lord.
Psalm 40:1-3 NLT

Even with Christ. Even with scripture. Even with a heart that truly desires right standing, reconciliation, and healing… the path forward is not always clear. Healing can absolutely be miraculous, fast and fully the work of the Father, but as all parents know, we don’t learn as much when we skip the process. 

The surviver road map.

…do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you]. Romans 12:2 (AMP)

Every single one of us sips, snacks and, somedays, gorges on meals prepared by our enemy.  Lies upon lies that limit our calling. Relationships fail. Marriages crumble. Opportunities lost. He will make you tired, fearful, lacking in confidence, certain of death. However, as those feelings settle in, put down the fork and knife. 

Claim the promise: 

You PULL ME OUT of the pit of despair.  My feet are STEADIED and SET ON SOLID GROUND. I HAVE A NEW SONG to sing. And IT WILL AMAZE ME. It will amaze US ALL. 

And it will cause that thick, clinging crusted layer of shame to crack away and turn to the dust it always was.  

You see, stuffing our emotions down deeper isn’t the admirable way of dealing with the tough topics. We aren’t Christ-like when internalizing and concealing our pain. Silent suffering doesn’t make us righteous, it makes us a target. Vulnerable. Playing make-believe Christians isn’t what makes the Father proud. Being honest with our mess and then inviting Him into the throes is where lies dissipate and breakthrough takes root. 

Don’t waste your pain.

Re-emerging from my own pit of despair, I’ve decided to document those battles, penning as much naked truth, witty sarcasm, and brave-shout-it-out-moments that I can muster. I am resolutely convinced that Satan’s lies to me are the same ones he’s thrust upon you. Not a coincidence, but a pattern. A diabolical strategy. One that, when forensically analyzed, can be diagnosed with a common core, and the sole objective is pulling our footing astray from The Solid Rock.  

My struggles feel so much smaller when I say them out loud. And I will. In these Truth Sessions, I will do 3 things: 

• Speak honestly out of my hardest experiences
• Cripple the Lies of a seething enemy 
• Shout the TRUTHS of our Father and King.  

And you know what will come from it?  FREEDOM. 

If you are ready to get more honest than you ever have.  Say the “impossible” things.  Share your scariest thoughts. Come out from behind the shadows and expose places you’ve hidden for too long, then I want to do this with YOU.  We take back our territory starting now. Game over, Satan. We’re over it. Who’s cowering now?

KNOW IT:

He (Satan) was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12 ESV

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

SAY IT:

The God of hope will fill me with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit I will ABOUND IN HOPE. Romans 15:13

And I’ll stride freely through wide open spaces
as I look for your truth and your wisdom;
Then I’ll tell the world what I find,
speak out boldly in public, unembarrassed.
I cherish your commandments—oh, how I love them!—
relishing every fragment of your counsel.
Psalm 119:45

 

And, friends, I can’t make this tidal wave of truth wash over dry bones alone.  I need your help to spread this passion and spark the conversation. Get on Social and share this link. Too many people we love are drowning under mire and muck. Send them a rope.