Denial is Demanding

Denial is Demanding

“And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, ‘Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times’ And he went out and wept bitterly.” Matthew 26:75 NIV

“The attempt to escape from pain is what creates more pain.” ― Gabor Maté

A wife was caring for her husband in the hospital and lifted her anxious eyes to see the verdict on the doctor’s face as he approached her. She said, “Not now. Let me put the bad news in my pocket to deal with later.” The doctor hugged her, put his phone number in her pocket and left. She did confront the bad news later that day but for a time, she prayed and consoled her very ill husband and wept privately. There is a time to deny some really harsh things in life for a time.  We put it in our spiritual pockets and take care of what is in front of us with awareness and faith.

Denial can be so very demanding. And it hurts! Ourselves and others.

Denial is a Brutal Taskmaster. We strain out a gnat and swallow a camel. Even the religious of Jesus’ time struggled with this—a mutual admiration society. Patterns are indicative of this: seeking approval, picking unhealthy people, addictions, chronic debt and more–unconsciously.We can’t change our lives with the same mind that got us into trouble. We must become conscious—we avoid this like a root canal! And the patterns and pain continue.

Denial is deceptive. It may make us think more highly of ourselves than we ought to. Sadder still, is less of ourselves who are made in the image of God.

Denial makes us judgmental. We see the speck in another’s eye and deny the log in our own eye. We will stumble and crash over this log because we are blind. Self-reflection and awareness of the judgmental voice in our heads help banish judgmentalism, especially the judgmental voice that accuses us. That’s not the Father.

Our Father helps us.  No other person loves you unconditionally except our Father through His Son. No other religion loves unconditionally. In His wisdom, He shows His love by dying for us and facing hard truths with us—Not guilty. We have a new mind, “the mind of Christ and a new heart.” 2 Corinthians 2:16

It takes time, self-reflection, courage and hope. It’s a worthwhile and life-long goal with support and signposts along the way. We wouldn’t start a trip without a map, rest and a solid vehicle.  If a warning symbol lights up on our dashboard, we don’t deny it—we check it out and get help. When our feelings light up on our dashboard, time to pay attention and take a step toward healing. The Bible is our roadmap, the Holy Spirit is our vehicle, Jesus is the driver and other encouraging Christians are our signposts.

Musings

One of the most difficult obstacles in our Christian journey is denial. So much opens up for us when we face our patterns with faith and courage. Help is on the way. Help is here.

Prayer

Dear Father,

Knowing we are fully and completely loved is our first step toward banishing denial. Thank you for being gentle with us. You are even gentle with us when we come and admit some hard truths about ourselves. You know them before we do. We know You want what is best for us and for Your Kingdom. What You have graciously given us should never be denied.

May we never deny Your Son.

May we share the good things today.

Amen.