Connecting Point: Untold Strength

Being accused, “You don’t listen,” hurts. One unexpected result of the Internet and the Cell Phone age is that people are conditioned into impatience. Why is this? It is the incessant bells and whistles going off to condition us to look at our Cell phone. Youth are being misled.

As adults we are expected to be temperate, patient, listen, and to be straightforward. However, adults, too, miss the mark. I’m not alone in calling these times, “The age of great distraction.”

Friend, I want to ask you to look deeper. Do you listen to God given longings or needs?

God created us to be relational beings, with him and others. We long for acceptance, appreciation, affection, access, attention, affirmation, and

assurance. Yes, we can fall into a self-centered trap of lopsidedness. Christ begged us to love each other. Balance is necessary, as are kindness and charity, which both require us to hear each other.

Josh McDowell, author and producer of Free to Thrive suggests that there is a lie that modern Christians accept too easily: our unwanted behaviors or sinful patterns are solely the “thorn in our flesh.” He means we, humans, being the works we are, can get stuck with a particular sin for the rest of our lives. Building upon Paul’s terminology in 2 Corinthians 12, which theologians and students have been unable to clearly define over the decades, Josh is not suggesting that we become perfect or sinless, he is simply stating that there is hope in overcoming sinful patterns in our life. Unresolved areas of our past keep us stuck, in present and future.

Throughout church history, leaders have clearly communicated that we are born into sin. Romans 3:23 is widely known, “…for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” The Gospel message isn’t left here alone, we are given hope. “He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit,” (Colossians 3:14). Then again, Romans 5:6 reads, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” Listen up, the Gospel addresses the sin problem but provides us with the solution, salvation through Jesus and he leads us to the Father.

A key missing link to our unmet longings and unwanted behaviors (sin) includes recognizing that we may act out in a sinful behavior and cope by

reacting to being hurt or sinned against. Retaliation is a difficult instinct to fight. Jesus taught that our response should be contrasting, “…love your enemies, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you,” (Luke 6:28). Life in Christ can be extremely freeing once we accept growth in overcoming weaknesses.

Jesus on many occasions told individuals to “Go and sin no more.” What was his intention? We thrive as Christians when we learn to listen to our unmet needs and respond in a Christ-like manner, versus defaulting back to sinful reactions. Understanding this cycle helps us to not only heal, but to thrive.

In the end it comes back to the Prophet Isaiah teaching us in the 40th chapter. “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength,” (Isaiah 40:31).