Tag Archives: admit

No Reason to Pretend

In order to put on a happy face, some individuals feel compelled to hide their misery from co-workers, family and neighbors.  Like a Halloween masquerade party, many profess to be fine all the while anguish, grief and pain collect.  Although the motto “fake it until you make it” sounds logical, there is no reason to pretend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn_QNLEFovg

From a mere vocational point of view, the last 5 years of my life have been like a hurricane, causing flood waters to break through levy’s.  As the storm surge continues to rise, my heart, soul and mind cling to promises of the Bible, hoping the trials subside soon.  When success reigned supreme, life was a piece of cake.  However, as turmoil entered my life through the winds of change, I’m not the same person.

Sure, I try to stay upbeat, but I am a mirage of my younger years, a piece of drift wood transformed by time, wind and water.  Water logged, especially around the waist, I long for dry land, a beach to call home.  Footprints along the shore are obvious signs that God has been carrying me.  When the waves calm, I will arise, perhaps wiser than before.  Like a work in progress, a strand of clay in the molding process, there is no reason to pretend it isn’t well with my soul.  Yet, I press on to take hold of that which Christ Jesus took hold of me, Philippians 3:12-14.

Don’t be afraid to be transparent; real so that a hurting world can see the only thing holding believers together, Romans 5:5.

by Jay Mankus

Put Me Back Together

Whether you want to admit it or not, everyone has 3 things in common with Humpty Dumpty.  First, at some point in time, you’ll find yourself living on the edge, trying to hang on or stay in control.  Second, you will experience a great fall, either physically, spiritually or both.  Finally, you’ll discover what it means to be helpless, needing someone else to put you back together.

In Psalm 31:12, King David compares himself to a piece of broken pottery, shattered into pieces.  The apostle Paul found himself in a similar predicament, using a jar of clay to illustrate the emotions he endured, 2 Corinthians 4:7-9.   C.S. Lewis referred to life as a car in Mere Christianity, trying to run on something other than petroleum, eventually breaking down since individuals didn’t follow the directions left behind by God.  Before you get well, you must acknowledge that you can’t do it on your own, in need of a Savior to stitch you back together, John 3:16-17.

Behind childhood fairy tales like Humpty Dumpty lie painful truths.  Solomon highlights this in Ecclesiastes 4:10 as friends are designed to pick us up when we fall.  Without somebody to turn to, pity reigns on these poor souls.  Therefore, if you’re hanging by a thread, lying in pain and waiting to be helped up, cry out to Jesus and He will put you back together, Luke 23:42-43.

by Jay Mankus