I was in a meeting listening to a woman tell her story about recovery from her extreme addiction. It had taken her from a fairly normal life with kids, to losing everything, including her kids, and then to living on the streets. She was telling of the facts that were happening this week because of her sobriety, recovery and dependence on God— instead of her dependence on her drug of choice.
She talked about her feelings and how they had dominated her decision-making when she was using and how that had led her to some pretty bad choices. Now, her focus was on the facts as they were—acceptance, rather than denial—and not focusing on the feelings she had about the facts that were happening. There is something in between acceptance and denial—the pause.
That is where God enters—if you let Him. Discernment and then clarity can only be gained when time passes and you are not in the emotions or the reality of just straight facts.
Feelings pass. Facts remain.
I lose sight of this too. Especially now, in all that has happened in 2020. It really depends on what I focus on in any given time period that determines my attitude for the day.
My pastor was teaching last week on how we can be Undaunted in our faith amidst the storm of negative events that happen to us or around us. He mentioned Francis Collins’ book, “The Language of God.” Francis Collins is a brilliant scientist. I loved this book and read it fifteen years ago. He deals in facts. He was an atheist, turned believer because of the nature of the facts! He said the goal of his book was “to explore a pathway toward a sober and intellectually sound integration of scientific and spiritual perspectives—seen and unseen.”
Speaking of himself, Francis Collins said, at one point, he had, “Willful blindness and arrogance.” with regard to his faith or lack of it.
Boy, was that me, when I was drinking. Willful. Blind. Arrogant. And, I was already a believer!!
Drinking was my solution when I could not deal with the facts and I had added my emotional overload to it—death, conflict, a broken shoelace—easier to drink and just check out. Now, in sobriety, I have learned to pray for wisdom, wait until the feelings pass, then make the best decision I know how to make in response to the facts before me.
God designed both—feelings and facts. The interpretation of the feelings toward to facts takes help. Our choices become clearer in life when we realize that we are not doing this alone—we have others to support us and we can surrender to God when we are overwhelmed with the emotions in response to the facts.
I choose now to live somewhere in that sober pause, where God can enter and give me peace.
There is no weakness in surrender, only humility.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12:9
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