I've heard this brief saying a lot over the years in this context:
"Oh, don't go there in your head. That's in the past, leave it there." OR "The whys don't matter, don't go there. Just move on." OR “That’s just how I grew up. I don’t need to ‘go there.’”
There was a time I listened; a time those statements made sense to me, or served my desire to avoid the emotional depths I felt “going there” would take me to. I suppressed the hurt, the wonder, the hope to understand the depths. There was a time I convinced myself the why didn't matter; a time I consistently told myself, "No, Lys, it’s just better or easier if you don't get there."
But that time has ended. Quite frankly, it has died a very certain death.
And, oh, I'm going there. I'm going all the way there - with the Lord - and I'm ripping out everything that's not supposed to be there at the root.
I agree that we shouldn’t let the enemy drag us places we don’t need to be. The Bible does not tell us to guard our heart and our minds for nothing. However, there is a difference between negatively dwelling on what sends your heart into a spiral all to gain nothing but hurt, and investing time and energy into getting to the root of things within yourself so you can experience genuine restoration.
We do ourselves a major disservice when we cavalierly dismiss certain struggles with sayings that sound right and spiritual, but completely deny God the space to restore us at the roots. We get good at making avoidance sound like faith.
Some of the best things God has shown me He’s shown me by taking me places inside myself I did NOT want to go.
Overcome with anger? If you don’t “go there” with God you may never find that the root of your anger is sitting in the childhood experiences you tried to leave in the dust as you ran from it.
Porn struggle? If you don’t “go there” with God you may never find that root of your struggle probably isn’t lust, but shame or escapism. It’s hard to break an addiction without understanding what drives it.
Battling depression or anxiety? If you don’t “go there” with God you may spend your days trying to convince yourself to just wear a smile to make it all better instead of understanding what's weighing down your heart.
So to the person who’s been battling, trying to avoid going there because you’re afraid of what you might find…
Go there. Go all the way there with God ((( because without Him you'll end up buried by what you find ))) and let Him bring the promises of His Word to life in your heart.
~ Alyssa
Comments