On The Turning Away

There are times when each of us has had to turn away from something. Maybe it was a toxic relationship, having just one more drink for the road or eating too many birthday treats at work. The things that once felt so good to us are now turning on us and trying to kill us.

For me it was the doughnuts. I am a Type II diabetic yet I still loved my doughnuts. When someone brought in birthday treats I would be one of the first ones there. If the cake remained there long enough I'd have another, maybe even a third. And they were free! A bad combination for me.

When I retired I no longer had that supply of doughnuts. I would actually have to drive five miles and pay actual money to get one, something I was unwilling to do. When I had my yearly physical this past week the doctor asked, "So, how did you lose the ten pounds?"

"I retired," was my answer. In effect, I stopped consuming them. But it took the loss of a job to accomplish what I myself could not do.

Do you have a bad habit? Is there something in YOUR life that consumes a little too much of your attention?

I was talking with someone the other day who is struggling in her relationship with her daughter. Disobedience, anger, defiance, drinking - all at the age of 18. Something was bound to happen and it did. Her sentencing is next month.

What is it in OUR lives that is slowly killing our relationship with God? Too much television perhaps? That extra burrito? Or is it too much of ourselves? Do we get so busy that we forget about God? Or we put Him in the back seat when He should be driving the car?

It is possible to change and to right the wrongs but it often takes something extraordinary, some kind of event or life-changing situation. Sometimes those events are capable of changing our lives, and in a bad way too.

There is an easier way.

Jesus has told us that we can come to Him when we are tired and burdened and that He will provide us rest from these things. A relationship is a simple thing to do but often is our last resort. Why? Because we think we can do things ourselves, and we can't. In the end it is our pride that is killing us in addition to the doughnuts.

"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28

Placing our faith in Christ is a life-changing experience. One of the first things that happens is we begin to think more about God than we do about ourselves. We get a desire to please HIM rather than our stomachs. PLUS He helps us in our weakness. He gives us strength to overcome.

"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  - 2 Corinthians 12:9

Have you placed your faith in Christ? Some think they have but really have not. There is danger there. "I prayed but nothing is happening". Want to know why? I believe it is because we are still clinging to "the world" instead of fully and completely clinging to God.

What are you still clinging to? Perhaps it's time we turned away from the world and fully embraced Christ. He is the answer we must seek if we hope to survive. Fixing ourselves is hard, especially when WE are part of the problem. Seek help from God. Make a positive change and receive that second chance that we crave so badly. He has promised that if we do that we WILL be saved.

"If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." - Romans 10:9

On The Turning Away - Pink Floyd