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When the World Says, "Been there, done that!:

Romans 13:11-12 (New International Version, ©2011)

The Day Is Near

 ¹¹ And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. ¹² The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

There is comfort in familiatrity.

There is safety in doing things that are 'tried and true.'

And then there's that thin line between "secure" and "bored."  You don't realize you've crossed that line until you miss the passion of the experience.  Passion in comfort is called compassion.  Passion in safety is called refuge.  But there is no passion in boredom. 

You probably have the T-shirt, "Been there, done that."

Applied to most things in life, this phrase is humorus.  Applied to your spiritual path -- BIG NEON FLASHING PROBLEM!

If you no longer feel passionate about your spiritual path - DO SOMETHING!

Like any relationship, passion fades away if you attention wanes.  You've got to look at it a new way.  See it from a new angle.  You may need to make some changes in yourself to help impassion you again.

Remember when you woke up singing and went to sleep content that the earth was in God's Hands?  Remember when you prayed and your skin tingled and your heart near-burst with power?

Do you want to back or are you just going to wear the T-shirt (drab-gray, frayed at the collar, letters peeling...)

It's your choice.

When the World Says, "Been there, done that."

God says, "Wake up!"

Sweet Jesus, I miss the passion I had in my soul.  I just sort of let it slip away into normalcy and everydayness.  Wake me up, Lord.  Revive me.  Help empower me with your spirit and path and words and love.  Now and always, Lord, Amen.

Walking Through the Valley of the Shadow of PTSD

Romans 8:18

  I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

A traumatic event – whether it was emotional, physical or spiritual – stops you in that point of time and life.  Like a falcon on the wind, it tethers you to the ground. Like Peter Pan’s shadow, the darkness cast by the event takes on a life of its own.

We call this shadow Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Clinging to this shadow is the stench of death, the betrayal of friends, and the loss of family.  You seem to carry it with you no matter where you go.  Its darkness taints every relationship and bleeds the very color out of life.

How do you get through this?

By putting one foot in front of the other.

You got through the trauma, whatever it was.  It’s in the past.  Done with.  Now you are walking through its shadow.

It is only a shadow.  Yes, it has very real physical effects: nightmares, anxiety attacks, irritable bowel syndrome, rashes, twitches, and sudden rages.  But you can get through this.  One step at a time. 

There are things you choose to do which can worsen the effects; all of which are actually forms of self-punishment: alcohol and substance abuse, dangerous sexual alliances, loosing control of your emotions, gambling, running away.  These punishments will only prolong your journey in the darkness. 

Do you remember the endless marches and drills of boot camp – mind-numbing, physically exhausting, and seemingly without purpose?  Your Sarg kept you going by yelling, “Don’t think.  Don’t whine.  Don’t ask why.  Just march.”  And he got you through.  You became something greater than you once were.  You became a soldier.

You have a long march ahead of you through the valley of the shadow of PTSD.  Be your own Drill Sarg and force yourself to put one foot in front of the other. 

Don’t think.  Don’t whine.  Don’t ask why.  Just march.

And don’t ever give up.

Do you remember when your march was the hardest?  It was when you were climbing a hill.  But know that where the hill begins, the valley ends.

Once you finish this walk Through the Valley of the Shadow of PTSD, you become something greater than you once were.

You can do this.

Dear Master,

Help us to see beyond the everyday steps to the glory you have provided for us.  And for those times when we are blinded by impatience, help us to just trust you to place our feet where You want them to go.  Help us to live day by day, step by step, and march through this valley. Amen.