"My Life Is Screwed Up!"

Well that is not exactly what she said to me, but you get the idea.  This person's life is scattered, tattered and battered.  She knows that many of her decisions over the past few months have been poor.  As I listened to the confession of this friend my heart and soul ached for her.  In my mind I was wondering if this person was asking for answers or just wanting to get the dirt off of her chest.  Should I probe deeper or let the aroma of her own pile of manure fill the air?  There was silence in our conversation.  I so wanted to help, but I so didn't want to get my head bit off for over extending counsel that wasn't being sought.  Sometimes, listening is all that is needed before godly movement begins.  

People often times confess their sinful choices because it does bring a sense of relief temporarily and because they are hoping to hear words that will give comfort.  But when the counsel or advice isn't what they were hoping to hear they often walk away with sadness, anger or find a way to make you the source of their problem.  

In Mark 10 we find the story of the Rich Young Ruler.  This man came asking what he needed to do to enter the kingdom of God.  Jesus' answer wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear.  This rich young ruler wanted to hear that he was a good dude that was on the path of heaven.  What he heard was "...go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come, follow Me."  This young man was not willing to do that so he walked away sad.  The very thing he wanted, eternal life, was there for the taking and he left it.  The relief he sought would never be found by going his own direction.

After that moment of awkward silence between my friend and myself, I asked her if she was looking for me to listen or if she wanted my insight.  Her answer was "Well you know I didn't mean to dump so much on you."  That is code for keep the counsel to yourself in case you didn't get it :-)  I responded by saying it sounded like she knew God was speaking to her and she should follow the Spirit's leading.  Her response was that she knew her life was not being invested well.  She was lamenting but not wanting to move.  It may not surprise you that this was about the twelveth conversation on the exact same issue over the past 8 months.  

There are so many people who want their lives to be different but don't want to do anything differently.  They seem to love to complain about how bad things, how they are not close to God and how they long for the 'good 'ol days' but are not willing to take actual steps (like repentance, humility and commitment) towards recovering what was lost.  This gets very tiring to me, hearing folks talk about what they are doing wrong, but do not want move towards doing what is right.

Repentance is a good word, not a bad word.  When repentance happens, healing begins - immediately.  It is God's kindness that leads us to repentance but we need to be willing to follow through.  Following through from the spot God asks us to jump from is something He will not for us.  So if your life is 'screwed up' and you know God is nudging you to jump, just do it (thanks Nike).  You'll be glad you did.