The Red Ribbon

Going through the nightly ritual of tucking my children into bed, my eldest began her pattern of fretting. She frets over where I will be within the walls of our home, what I will be doing, and if I will be available if she were in need of my presence. As I kissed her smooth forehead I muttered, “Oh child, you worry too much.”

At the ripe old age of seven, my eldest has perfected the art of worry. We must be wise to know that such things as anxiety, worry, and fear begin to take root within the soul at a very early age. The battle over our mind starts to rage the moment we are born into this broken world. Because of this knowledge, we must prepare ourselves, and help to prepare those who come after us, for this battle.

When my child gets down on herself or voices opinions that I know are not life-giving truth, I call her out on believing the lie. I am sure many of us can testify that we have early thoughts from our childhood that we believed to be truths, but they simply were not. Lies were planted and became fertilized by the enemy slowly over time. Weeds like these lies become deep-rooted and often we learn how to feed them ourselves. So how does a child of God fight a battle that consumes a soul like wildfire?

God’s gift of His inspired Word- scripture- is our greatest weapon on the battlefield. But in order for us to not only learn how to use this weapon, and use it properly no less, one must learn the scriptures themselves. It is referred to in the Psalms as hiding His Word in our heart- our heart being the dwelling place of God:

Psalm 119:11, I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Anyone can pick up a sword, but the sword is useless to the warrior if they haven’t learned how to not only use it, but respect its power and strength. When we begin to fill our minds with God’s truth, it leaves little room for the enemy to plant seeds of lies. This is a process that takes time, determination, patience, and devotion. When we are being transformed into children of God, you better believe that when we get down on ourselves or voice opinions that are not life-giving truth, the Holy Spirit will call us out on believing the lie.

For when we ponder the lie, we eventually believe the lie. When we believe the lie, we act out on the lie. And every time we do we slip a little farther into a pit. When I sit down to read and meditate on the black inked words securely hidden within the cool soft cover of my bible, I often pull out the red silky ribbon marker that rests upon the last page I read. As I slip the smooth red ribbon through my fingers, I am reminded that this ribbon represents the means of my rescue. This red ribbon is the rope He has given me to climb out of the pit.

Father, as we take in your words, may they absorb themselves deeply into the lining of our hearts so that we can be released from the lies the enemy would have us believe to be truth. In Jesus name, Amen.

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