When you want to crawl in bed and stay…

When trouble comes, our first response might to stay in bed, cover our head, and shut out the world…or is it just me? I would like to offer four tips that can help when you find wishing your problems away does not work…woman-cover-her-head-with-pillow-640x427

Look up.

Cry out to God. Read, reread the bible, let the truth of His love and care sink deep within your soul. It is in God’s word that I find comfort and encouragement that helps to sustain me through the difficult times. In many of the psalms David wrote of his pain and struggles. As I read them it helps me put my problems in perspective and to look past my trouble and trust God’s bigger purpose.

Let my cry come before You, O Lord;

Give me understanding according to Your word.

Let my supplication come before You;

Deliver me according to Your word.  

Psalm 119:169-170

Look within.

Take care of yourself. I want to fix things…NOW! And might be known to work myself into exhaustion to make things right…if only I could. I have learned that I need to relax; and trust that God is at work even when I am not. Sleep; when I don’t get the rest I need, I will likely get sick and definitely will get irritable. Eat healthy; in my need to fix the problem, I often do not want to make the time to shop for groceries and cook a meal, yet the shopping and chopping bring a sense of normalcy and routine that can be very calming. And provides the fuel my body needs to stay healthy through the stressfulness. Exercise; sitting and stewing about the situation gets me down both mentally and physically. Taking a walk or doing an Essentrics workout helps to energize my body and clear my mind.

For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His… 2 Chronicles 16:9

Look around.

Don’t try to go it alone. As a “fixer”, this is probably the area that is most difficult for me…asking for help. Please, turn to trusted friends and share what you are going through. Pray with them. Listen to them. Let them help.

And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. Ecclesiastes 4:12

Look out.

Seek professional help. I have not actually followed through with this step. Friends have shared how helpful it is to speak to a Christian counselor who does not have an emotional attachment to you or your situation,  and who brings a fresh biblical  perspective and offers sound advice.

Listen to counsel and accept discipline,

That you may be wise the rest of your days.

Many plans are in a man’s heart,

But the counsel of the Lord will stand.

Proverbs 19:20-21

Throw back the covers…

Look pass the difficulties that lay ahead having your mind set on heavenly things (Colossians 3:2), and equipped with the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17). Move forward with a body that is healthy, strong, and well rested.  Stand firm with a heart encouraged by those who walk along side of you through the crisis.

Missing the Mark

I sin. I act in ways that hurt others, I sometimes say mean and hurtful things. When I speak and act this way I am sinning against those people…right??

David committed adultery with Bathsheba, to cover it up he ordered Uriah, her husband killed. He married Bathsheba and thought all is well. David didn’t acknowledge the truth of his actions until he is confronted by the prophet, Nathan. Psalm 51 is David’s song of confession and plea for forgiveness. It begins below…

1 Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;

   According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity

   And cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,

   And my sin is ever before me.

4 Against You, You only, I have sinned

  And done what is evil in Your sight,

  So that You are justified when You speak

  And blameless when You judge.

WAIT…how can David say he only sinned against God?

Certainly David sinned against Bathsheba, didn’t he? Then there is the matter of her husband, and David likely sinned against many other people during the months following these events, before being confronted by Nathan, the prophet. When people hurt me, they sin against me. Don’t they? When I hurt others I sin against them. Right?

What does David mean he ONLY has sinned against God?

To understand the point David is making, we need to start with a correct understanding Aiming Target With Bow And Arrow Archeryof the word “sin”. The Hebrew word transliterated sinned is Chataʾ, which means “to miss the mark,”. The word literally refers to a person shooting a bow and arrow and missing the target with the arrow. When it is used to describe sin, it means that the person has missed the mark that God has established for the person’s life.

 When we fail to meet God’s ideal, we sin.

And our sin is only against God, because He is the one who set the standard. Our hate, anger, hostility, etc…brings pain to ourselves and the people we direct it toward. But ultimately our sin is against God. We like David must confess our sins and acknoweldge the evil we have done in God’s sight.  Then repent, and ask for His mercy and forgiveness.

As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me;

Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.” Psalm 41:4

And like the prodigal son, we need to acknowledge our sin to the people we have hurt and ask for their forgiveness.

I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight;                   Luke15:21

 

The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous

And His ears are open to their cry.

Psalm 34:15