What's in your blank? Drink a bottle of wine, take a 3 hour nap, binge Netflix, go shopping, eat a dozen donuts or maybe scroll through sites on your computer that you know you shouldn't look at, whip out those painkillers from a previous injury, etc.
What if... that thing in your blank wasn't your first response? What if something much more life-giving was the first thing you turned to? Wouldn't that make things better and not just provide an hour or two of distracted enjoyment while the frustration and disappointment of the day still sit by waiting for you to return to reality? I'd love that too! It sounds so easy doesn't it? Pick up my Bible instead of another donut. Turn on some worship instead of Netflix. But, Jesus says, "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." - Matthew 26:41. Jesus spoke this to some of his disciples the night that he would be arrested. He had gone away to pray and asked that they pray with him, but they gave into their flesh and fell asleep, when what they needed to do was persevere in prayer. Wow, how many times have I given into my flesh when I should have persevered in prayer? Too many to count, that's how many. I have been on a journey to learn more about the Holy Spirit and what it really means to be led by the Spirit. One thing I'm learning is that it means I become more aware of my flesh and how easily I give into its desires. And I have to make a choice - give into my flesh or wage war by giving in to the Spirit. Some days I feel strong enough to wage war and others I give in easily.
So what's in my blank? At different points in my life it's looked different, but the one consistent thing that I so easily struggle with is food. Your blank probably looks different, but I bet that a lot of the roots are the same. My relationship with food is a tangled web - that got knotted, covered in glue, and sprinkled with glitter. In other words - it's a hot mess and sometimes I just don't want to deal with it because I HATE glitter and it's gonna require patience that I don't have to try to get through the layers of glitter and glue and begin trying to untangle all of those knots. BUT, I don't have to do it alone, which makes it seem so much more doable. I realize now that I have the Holy Spirit right there with me, speaking to me, helping me, and strengthening me when I feel weak. I'll continue to share this journey with you, but for now here I am in the "messy middle" and today I'm choosing to wage war by giving into the Holy Spirit.
So, what's in your blank? Tell someone. The more we speak out about our struggles, the less power they have over us.
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