Four Star Resort

The process of transforming our relational health is a difficult feat indeed. Our human experience was designed with the purpose of enjoying the abundance that comes from good, healthy relationships.

Unfortunately there are often relationships during the course of our human experience that are far from abundant and healthy. And thorny relationships like these are not only difficult to identify, but rectify. But the only way to identify and rectify these thorny relationships is to ask The Lord to remove the thorn in our eye first. This thorn removal brings reconciliation between us and our Heavenly Father who loves us.

I believe there exists four distinct yet interconnected barriers that inhibit us from giving and receiving grace within different relationships in life. And when we are not giving grace, we are exhibiting gracelessness towards ourselves and others. The first of these barriers is fear.

Fear is powerful motivator, but it is negative in its nature for it can easily paralyze our body, mind, and soul. Nearly nothing makes us more uncomfortable than fear. And there are too many fears that we may encounter in any given moment such as the fear of pain, disease, failure, and acceptance just to name but a few.

How many walk around in this thing we call life and fear a God that they do not really know? So many souls have this idea of God that is a false perception of a Heavenly Father that truly loves us. They see a god who sits upon a golden throne waving hands back and forth deciding who lives and who dies; who receives blessing and who does not. How many of us have believed the lie that what we do- our works- is what keeps us qualified to receive His love? And if we put God on that human level, how much more do we think or expect that our works will keep us in the good graces of others? Do we keep those who serve us in our good graces? Are we afraid of others, and perhaps what they think of us is what motivates us?

2 Timothy 1:7, For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

Yes, fear is a powerful motivator. We fear judgement and criticism from our family, friends, the church, our co-workers, and even God Himself. This fear often leads us to care more about what others think of our actions and works more than what God thinks about them. But the Good News brings us the hope and truth that we need not squat in this lie any longer. Some have been dwelling in this particular pit for so long their tent more closely resembles a four star resort.

The only thing we should fear is the fear of The Lord itself which is a devotion to God and not a sense of being frightened. The greatest tactic the enemy of our soul uses in his war against us is fear. But the enemy is nothing more than a obnoxious bully who uses fear and the art of distraction to help us pull the focus and blame off of ourselves and project it onto others. But when we can ask God for the wisdom He promises to lavishly pour out to us, we can recognize these tactics for what they really are. It is then that we are given great peace and courage to take all of our thorns and scatter them at the foot of the cross where Jesus is waiting to gather them up tightly within His mighty hand.

Father, the thorns we carry cause our souls discomfort… and sometimes great pain. Give us the courage to ask you to not only reveal them, but pull them out. In Jesus name, Amen.

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