Last week we concluded with making sure we all cherish and protect the Abundant Life we’re living as His bride and to not allow the enemy to get the better of us with perceived danger not suited for us as His brides.
This week I’d like to share an amazing living lesson that I just hope will stick in my mind and in my heart, and yours, so that not only can we prevent having to deal with feelings that are based solely on lies but also to help other Brides—if you also share this same weakness.
This week I had visitors come down and stay with me at my Vacation Rental Resort during the off season, when all of a sudden, abruptly, their whole attitude changed. Instinctively I felt like I had done something to offend this couple, something I might have said or done. So I tried to be kinder, tried to engage them in conversations—like asking them questions on a topic that I knew or I thought would be something they would get excited about sharing. But nothing I did worked and within a short time they just packed up and left.
I just had this all-too-familiar sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that I trust all of you have experienced. My mind rewound over and over wondering what I’d done, but prior to that I did ask the Lord what was going on and He assured me time and again, time and again, time and again that it had nothing to do with me! Nevertheless I simply could not shake that all-too-familiar sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. You know the one, when you were struggling through your Restoration Journey, long before you jumped over to your Abundant Life Journey. So how’d I get back here?!?
First, let me confess that this has a lot to do with realizing just how self-absorbed I am because why do I think that everything has to revolve around me? And of course it's exactly what the enemy wants you to do. He wants you to focus on yourself so you will feel sick about something. The enemy is notorious for shoving us down that slippery slope so we continually feel horrible about all sorts of things— which is why we have learned and love to go to our Heavenly Husband. To ask Him to tell us what's going on and hear from Him, as I did.
Yet, in spite of everything, I still could not shake that feeling and it kept taking me back, wondering what I'd done or what I'd failed to do.
So when I was finally alone I was able to quiet myself and asked Him why I was stuck on rewind even though I’d heard the truth directly from Him—that it had nothing to do with me. That’s when He brought me all the way back to right after my restoration. At the time, I had wondered why my husband couldn't just simply restructure the way that he thought and here I was doing the exact same thing. I remember discussing this with my EH when he stated how hurt he was about something (I can’t remember any specifics) whereby I’d tell him the truth, but he would stick to what he believed. I remember in my arrogance saying numerous times, hoping to make him feel better, “Why choose to believe something that I assured you isn’t true?” And here I was doing the very same thing years later! Isn’t there a principle about not judging others? Ha ha ha-- Another thing to Laugh Off, my utter arrogance lest I fall prey to the enemy’s schemes!
Now that I’ve Laughed Off my Arrogance, thankful He’s opened my eyes to my utter dependence on Him, let me explain to help you all understand and maybe to identify yourself in this story. My husband had returned home and shortly thereafter, he had started meeting with a group of Christian men, most of whom were fathers, to play basketball. I’m not sure if it was once a week, more or less often, but what happened every single time and what he also would bring up when he would talk to other people is that I hated him going out and it ruined it for him.
No doubt it was a test not to defend myself to him or to those who he told. But often I felt badly it ruined it for him, so I would do my best to convince him how utterly untrue it was. The truth was, but I just couldn’t say it because it could easily be taken the wrong way, is that I relished and coveted each time he went out. At that time he worked from home and we were having home church and we were homeschooling—basically we were doing everything from home and he was there 24/7. So when he was gone I had so much freedom and it gave me time to relax. I’d actually wished that he would go more often and play basketball. Yet, no matter how sincerely I told him, he could not shake that this is how I felt. I honestly believe that to this day he still believes this and he is not able to change the way he thought. But I’m the same!
We all have these same lies that have fastened themselves on us.
We need God to be able to get rid of those feelings. That’s when I heard Him say, Laugh It Off and I immediately envisioned two Promises. The first is a new version of a favorite from the Proverbs 31 woman. Rather than “she smiles at the future” it says “she laughs” and of course, I could envision our Beloved laughing.
The second part was me envisioning the Apostle Paul when the serpent lunged out of the fire and clamped onto his arm, but “Paul simply shook the snake off into the fire and he suffered no harm.”
What I want to do each and every time I have any sort of uncomfortable feeling is to simply Laugh It Off. Because darling brides, it worked!! Immediately after I envisioned this emotional attack as the serpent that I “laughed off” the sick feelings that were in my gut were gone so I could live my abundant life smiling at the future with Him. Actually it was more like laughing at the future, laughing at everything! Even when the enemy switched tactics, having me focus on something that didn’t work out perfectly, I began to laugh and laugh and laugh. In the days that followed I promise you that I don’t remember anything but the perfect times we spent together as friends.
What about you? Are you currently battling an emotional attack or can recall one the enemy has used repeatedly that you need to be rid of? Darling, ponder it and then Laugh It Off and watch those sick feelings burn up in that fire so you, too, can live your abundant life smiling at the future with Him.
Unleashing the TRUTH