What was I thinking? Craziness!!! Just—craziness!!! I’m still not sure what came over me but the C.D.O. urges (the proper alphabetical ordering for those of us accused of being O.C.D.—Obsessive Compulsive—some of you will get that later, LOL!) were more than I could bear at the time. I boldly went where no man has gone before! I………..cleaned out our refrigerator. I have to admit I was quite embarrassed by a few things I found. You don’t PLAN for things to get so dirty but it happens. Over time we become blind to things. For example–there’s the 8 year old bottle of dressing [hanging my head in shame–in my defense it looked the same as it did when we opened it]. There’s the random covered container you haven’t been able to see WAYYYYYY in the back. You can see through the top and realize it has grown hair as long as Crystal Gayle (some of you may have to google her—no shame, LOL!). Just throw it away—DON’T open it. Don’t forget about the bottle of steak sauce you can’t bring yourself to throw away because it will has a LITTLE bit of sauce at the bottom. It’s amazing the things we tend to justify. Excuses develop—I’ll get it tomorrow….… maybe it’s not as old as I think it is……maybe someone else will do it.
Sadly, we tend to be the same way about our personal beliefs and opinions. We carry around this bag of often misguided though well-meaning and (sometimes) legalistic beliefs we attempt to convince ourselves are the only correct way to live. When was the last time you cleaned out your spiritual refrigerator? Seems kind of weird but stay with me. From childhood we develop a belief system based on our personal upbringing and environment. Our beliefs tend to be the place from which we make decisions, form opinions, and more. Every few years I find myself questioning WHY I believe WHAT I believe. Do I doubt Christianity? Absolutely not. But I do question the teaching of those I allow myself to sit under and, even more importantly, my own belief system. It’s one thing to be taught right from wrong. But there comes a time when we simply have to stand back and question WHY we believe WHAT we believe –THEN search out the answers for ourselves. Portions of the Bible can be left to interpretation. But there are certain parts that stand as absolutes (i.e. the Ten Commandments). It’s that grey area that tends to bring us the most problems. Too often we allow the world to dictate how we, as the Church, will believe. Just because the Bible doesn’t specifically state something is wrong doesn’t mean it’s right or permissible. One of those grey area decisions can snowball and leave you addicted and messed up. We have to search for ourselves. We have to pray for the Holy Spirit to help us discern what is good and what is not. It’s not enough to simply have an opinion or belief. We must question WHY we hold certain beliefs? What are you basing it on? What does the word of God say? What has the Holy Spirit revealed to YOU? You can’t expect to be able to minister to the lost if you’re not even sure what YOU believe. It would be nice but we can’t ride Grandpa or Grandma’s coat tail to heaven. “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.” [1 Cor. 13:11] Time to step up and be the man/woman of God He is calling you to be. Once in a while you have to clean out your spiritual refrigerator. You might be surprised what you find lurking in there.
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15
**If you have a few extra minutes scroll down to my prior post titled “Blessed to be a blessing.” There you’ll find a link to an article I had published that talks a little about our infertility journey. If you know someone who struggles with this issue, please encourage them to either read this article or find a place where they can begin to receive counseling or healing from this hurt. God always has a perfect plan!!!**