Better Than Everনমুনা

FROM WITHIN When it comes to our spiritual lives, we have a tendency as humans to treat symptoms rather than the source of an issue. We see symptoms of things we don’t like in our lives, and we start trying to attack those and make them go away. If I see selfishness, greed, lust, or laziness showing up in my life, my immediate reaction is to start trying to fix those problems. I focus on doing less of those things, avoiding situations that tend to cause those reactions, and I can become totally focused on eliminating the symptoms. Now, while Jesus does call us to live holy lives, this approach of focusing on eliminating sin or cleaning up all the “bad stuff” in our lives is not what Jesus had in mind. In fact, if you read the Gospels that tell about Jesus’ life on earth, there’s only one group of people he was ever really upset with…it was the guys who had perfected the art of fixing their symptoms. The religious leaders of the day were experts in following an endless list of little rules so that they could appear righteous. But, at the end of the day, Jesus called them out for missing the point…for having empty and wicked hearts. In the midst of our current crisis, it’s really easy to start seeing some of these symptoms popping up in our lives. We’re being rude to our families, we’re seeing some old bad habits re-emerge as time and stress take their toll, and we just find ourselves being less like the people we want to become. Don’t go down the path of trying harder, working harder, fixing the symptoms…recognize that times of pressure cause whatever is already deep down within us to come out. Focus on fixing the heart, on surrendering to God, drawing near to him, and filling your heart and mind with his truth. As you change what’s going on within you, it will start to clear up those external symptoms you want to get rid of.