trbccoffeebreak

“Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.” Psalm 51:6 (ESV)

Dinner was being put away and the picnic table cleared.  The children were enjoying the last few moments of daylight as we talked on the deck.  The older one started extinguishing the tiki torches as we relished the last moments of conversation.  Like a movie in slow motion, I witnessed out the corner of my eye the youngest one reaching to mimic brother and put out the torch.  Unfortunately, his height didn’t work to his advantage as the tiki torch tumbled into the flower bed.  It only took a few minutes before the unthinkable happened.

“We have a little issue here,” spewed from my lips.  I moved toward the edge of the deck and yes, we truly had an issue. The tiki torch was planted into the bed of flowers and burning. Desiring to not freak everyone out, I calmly kept saying we have an issue.  Little ones doused the flame with water from the deck but the kerosene kept it burning.  Mom came to the rescue and carefully retrieved the torch now separated and then extinguished it.  One would say we definitely had an issue….issue was now resolved….thank you Jesus!

Doubtless to say, we all have “a little issue” sometimes don’t we?

Sometimes ownership of the issue belongs to us.  Something we’ve nursed for too long has reared its ugly head.  Wounds from our past being rebirthed in our future.  Wrongs we chose not to confess now leaking bitterness and unforgiveness.  Attitudes and words spewing out effortlessly.

Sometimes ownership of the issue belongs to someone else.  And we have chosen to ignore its potential destructive power for the sake of not alarming or offending.  We don’t want to upset or freak out anyone so we calmly avoid the issue. Let’s not rock the boat even though it has a slow leak.

Regardless of whose got the “issue,” we’ve probably all been there.  And the reality of “a little issue” is it doesn’t extinguish itself.  Left unattended it spreads like wildfire into “a bigger issue.”

We can’t resolve what we won’t admit.  We can’t move forward if we’re still dragging baggage along. We can’t help someone if we’re unwilling to open dialogue about an issue.

Best solution is to never ignore an issue.  If I had simply excused away what I saw happening on the deck, we could have had a serious fire going.  The decision to calmly admit an issue sets the stage for interaction and resolve.  Choosing to not look the other way and ignore what is happening invites resolution and minimizes damage. Prayerfully seeking God’s guidance and wisdom strategically enables us to face our issues.  Intentionally covering others in prayer and gaining clarity on when to engage in conversations with them about their issue can foster growth and uncover blindspots.

It’s a win – win when we trust God to extinguish and handle issues we’d much rather avoid.  He will guide us each step of the way, if we choose to lean into His wisdom, discernment and timing.

“Father, remove the blinders and help me to see the “little issues” in me which need to be dealt with.  Help me to be courageous and determined in following Your lead.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life