“So the human heart was created in the context of perfection of the garden of Eden. But we don’t live there now. This is why our instincts keep firing off the lie that perfection is possible. We have pictures of perfection etched into the very DNA of our souls.”- Lysa TerKeurst
Lysa TerKeurst concludes Chapter 1 of It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way as she encourages us to open up God’s answers, ways, and Word to equip us with the truths to process our disappointments. Because it’s so easy for us to believe, Ms. TerKeurst notes, that if we get close to something looking like perfection, that helps us grab a little sunshine for ourselves.
Yet, even shiny things eventually turn dull. The author adds:
“The most tightly knit aspects of life snag, unravel, and disintegrate before our very eyes. And so we are epically disappointed. But we aren’t talking about it. We don’t even feel permission to do so or we just don’t know how to process our disappointments. Especially not in Bible study or Sunday church.”
Yes, Lysa admits, we do need to express grateful and positive thoughts. Yet, we court danger when we stay quiet and pretend our disappointments don’t exhaust us. For it’s in that quiet, Lysa contends, that Satan crafts his most damning weapons against us. Satan subtly desires to seduce our thoughts with whispers that develop our disappointments into destructive thoughts. When Satan isolates us, his influences takes over our lives.
Therefore, in the middle space between the Garden of Eden and walking in the garden of heaven with Jesus, we must, the author stresses, learn to wrestle well. In other words, we need to acknowledge our feelings, but still move forward – with our faith leading the way. As a result, Lysa exhorts, she wants to “open the gift of disappointment and release the atmosphere of hope contained within.”
Today’s question: What DNA etched pictures of perfection exist in your heart? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Shattered to the point of dust”
