We don’t want to see it. We turn our eyes from the mirrors. We ignore the warning signs. We intentionally pretend it’s not there.
That ache in our back, the one that might be more than just a strained muscle. Our ongoing headache. That spot on our arm that simply won’t heal. We don’t want to deal with it, and so we turn a blind eye.
Or our car, that noise just when we start the engine. We don’t really hear it, not but just for a moment. And in the house, the roof only leaks when it rains really hard, so it’s probably okay for a few more years.
Maybe the thing we avoid is simpler. We don’t want to think about the box we checked off on our tax form, the one that wasn’t really true. Or our hair, we want to imagine it’s still full and thick.
What do we overlook, because we’re afraid we might see it if we open our eyes?
Sometimes, when we want to deal with a problem, we have to look it squarely in the eyes and punch it right in the nose. Otherwise, it will rule over us, keeping us under its thumb day and night.
James 3:2 tells us:
“For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.”
This verse talks about controlling our words, what we say to other people. It means so much more. Ellicott’s Commentary suggests that controlling our impulsive tendencies to say what we think regardless of how it hurts others is one of the hardest things we can do. If we can control that, we have enough self-discipline to control every other facet of our lives.
Facing the worst thing about us is what the verse is really about. Once that is out of the way, the rest is cake.
When we go to the doctor and discover that spot is benign, we can move on from our worry. We may find the roof only needs one shingle replaced. That tax form? The truth only costs a few dollars, well worth the extra sleep we get at night.
That sin we pretend to ignore? Once we punch it in the nose, we don’t have to turn away from the mirror. We can look ourselves in the eyes, and know we’re perfect in the sight of God.
God wants to step in and help us fix whatever damage the world has done to us, if only we will invite him in.
Copyright © 2015 MyChurchNotes.net
Originally Published 11-16-15 in Hope