Today my Bible reading took me to the book of Jeremiah, the OT prophet who was so distraught for his people that he wished "my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain of my people" (9 : 1). Jeremiah loved God and was faithful in carrying out His commands, but in this chapter Jeremiah had a complaint. And it concerned the seeming reluctance of God to punish the wicked. Jeremiah said, "Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all the faithless live at ease? You have planted them, and they have taken root; they grow and bear fruit. You are always on their lips but far from their hearts" (12 : 1 - 2).
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Saturday, October 08, 2011
Forgetting The Past
Christian Graphics Last week someone disclosed to me that she dealt with loneliness by being promiscuous. Now this might blow you away as it did me, but I appreciated her honesty and forthrightness, and I told her so. Then came my obvious question. WHY DO YOU DO IT? Her response was flippant, but she was dead serious. She said she'd been married for two years and had a wonderful relationship, until her husband dumped her when he discovered she had a mental illness. Since then she'd been unable to have a steady relationship with anyone and so she settles for the dinner, the flowers, the one-night stand, and when it's over she knows it's over.
Female promiscuity on the rise
Before I could fire my next question she answered it. "I know about STDs and it doesn't really bother me." Now, you may be thinking that this is to be expected of someone who is mentally ill, but think again. An online dating site that boasts of over 10 million registered users recently published statistics showing that promiscuity among women has doubled since 2004. According to the site, the ratio of men to women seeking intimate encounters is now 5 : 1, double that of three years ago, and it's predicted that within a decade this ratio will be 1 : 1. It would be interesting to know how many of these women are mentally ill.
Give it to Jesus
You may be wondering what does this have to do with a Christian blog? In the case of the woman in the first paragraph, she blames her promisucity on her past. This may or may not be true, but many women become promiscuous as a result of past experiences: childhood sexual abuse, rape, broken relationships to name a few. How can a woman get rid of the shackles of the past? The best way I know how is to give them to Jesus. He took our sins and griefs upon Himself and died on an old wooden cross so that we would not have to carry those sins and griefs anymore.
Don't look back
In the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot's wife looked back when they were fleeing from the destruction of the city and she turned into a pillar of salt. (Genesis 19: 26). The premise? DON'T LOOK BACK! The apostle Paul wrote, "... forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3: 13-14).
You are created in the image and likeness of God
If you are a woman who has been battered and bruised by past experiences, it's time to give it up. Don't go looking for love in all the wrong places. Don't subject yourself to someone else's whims and fantasies. You are not an old shoe to be used and discarded. You are a person, created in the image and likeness of God. Bishop TD Jakes says, "You should be someone's priority, not their option." Don't mourn the rest of your life for someone who left you. God loves you and wants to shelter you in His arms, but He cannot if you are seeking shelter somewhere else.
Letting go of the past is not an easy process. It may take months or even years to shed the layers of poor self-esteem you have built up. But it can be done. With God's help, godly counseling and the support of your friends, family and church, you can walk into those everlasting arms, open and outstretched, waiting to embrace you.
Let's pray this prayer: Father God, I acknowledge that I am a sinner and that You sent Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross so that I may be delivered from sin and its dreadful effects. Father, I accept Your deliverance now, and from this day forward I will walk in the newness of life which You have for me. I am no longer chained to my past. I am free, for whom the Son sets free is free indeed. Amen.
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