“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”- John 10:10
In today’s post, Mary DeMuth (The Wall Around Your Heart) concludes her presentation of the five kingdoms we build on earth by discussing The Survivor Kingdom. On the surface the Survivor Kingdom might seem to be relatively harmless, since we’re not beating ourselves and have relinquished our desire for vengeance. But there’s one significant problem- we’re numb and don’t care that we are.
Mary adds that we cannot stay in the self-protection mode forever. Our lives won’t be fruitful if we merely choose to survive. We have to opt to move forward. At the same time, Jesus’ promise of abundant life can be hard to swallow when we’re stinging from the pain of our ministry downsizing or vocation loss. As the author aptly notes, when we choose to protect ourselves, we “smallify” our worlds.
Mary comments that when our trust muscle has atrophied, we need to move from lethargy to love, from isolation to friendship. God desires our wholeness. He wants us to thrive in the aftermath of our vocation loss, not merely cling to existence as a walled-off survivor:
“Jesus understood betrayal like no one else, and He is waiting to move you beyond your self-protection into a life joyfully lived for others. That doesn’t mean you’ll never suffer . . . . But it does mean that you’ll find yourself walking with Jesus, who walks behind you (where the abuse happened), beside you ( as you process the pain), and before you in the glorious future (beyond the pain).”
Today’s question: How can you be intentional in giving Jesus the reins of your healing? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “God’s Kingdom”
