Everywhere I turn in life I see patterns repeating themselves. Many are caught in vortexes of self-destruction and exploitation. Others have a pious fa?ade that hide circles of anger and pain. Still others pride themselves on their openness and compassion as they blindly ignore those desperately needing help within their reach. I wish I was above this mess but there are pieces of almost every pattern in my life.
If you muster the courage you will observe that those around you often see the patterns. There are hands, ears, and voices reaching out to help. Yet the offers go unaccepted more than they are received. It doesn’t stop there. God sees them as well. His blunt comment is made in love to anything, anyone that brings pain, hardship, and ultimately death.
“Enough! Don’t give in to them; I’ll be with you soon. I’m fed up and about to cut them to pieces with my sword-sharp words.” (Revelation 2.15)
The choice is simple. Act and move to break the cycle or live with evil in your back pocket. As clear of a choice this might seem in a given moment the challenge is that we are all caught in webs of our making. The angst that rests on our souls is a difficult one to bear. If you are not careful the burden of self realization will overwhelm God’s pull to rescue. There is only one way to break free. My own experience suggests that this is never a one time effort but one that each must come back to often, frequently, and without reservation.
Breaking free is often expressed in very complicated ways. In reality the process comes down to the following. First, see yourself for who you really are. Second, glimpse God’s offer of mercy, love, compassion. When you have that hope then “accept” without reservation. Third, when you find yourself in a circle away from God restart the process. For me this is at least daily so don’t fret it the pattern is not completely broken. Changing our hearts is a miracle for God.
