“Dear friend, if you’ve gone into hock with your neighbor or locked yourself into a deal with a stranger, if you’ve impulsively promised the shift off your back and now find yourself shivering out in the cold, Friend, don’t waste a minute, get yourself out of that mess. You’re in that man’s clutches!” (Proverbs 6.1-3)
It is easy to listen to stories past, present, or unfolding future and then provide advice. The obvious is there for anyone not involved to see. The mistakes that continue to feed the myriad of complex relationships are a roadmap that we all think we can easily avoid. The solutions quickly come and slide on out before one asks the key question. “Am I any different with the relationships in my life?”
I am hesitant to compare my challenges with anyone. I doubt that the mountains blocking my view are high if I was able to view them from another direction. I also fear that we all share the same dilemma. We see what we see and we hear what we hear because of decisions made long before we every entered the current scene. Once into a series of events, how does one unwind the picture?
The question you and I face is twofold. Am I willing to see myself for who, what, and where I am? If so, will I grab God’s hand to do something about my situation?
I would suggest that until I deal with these two fundamental questions and the subsequent reality of living out the decisions, I will never be in a position to help another. I do not need to arrive at the final destination; I just need to start the journey. Sitting still is not an option; the picture is going to continue regardless.
Today I took a fresh look and the scene was not very pretty. The good news is that God offers you and I a fresh start any time we want it. If you are going to do it, hold on to God, He is the source for courage and hope.
