2024.11.18
A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of. John 10:10 The Message
It is so much easier to blame Jackson, one of my mini labradoodles, with stealing cookies, bread, and anything appealing that he finds in the trash. Those antics are (mostly) funny stories about a little fluffball. And after a word of rebuke, Jackson starts to wag his tail, look me in the eye, and I respond with a smile and a pat on the head.
More serious is the thief who sneaks into my thoughts when my own proclivity of self-doubt and second guessing breaks out of the cell to which I’ve consigned the thief. The thief starts whispering negative judgements about me. I know from where the thief originated. They words were intended to encourage me to do better, for example to turn that A– into an A. But their unintended effect was to lead me down a hole of self-doubt and recrimination.
I used to fall into the hole and have trouble crawling back out. Now I am able to identify the self-doubt and self-recrimination as the thief’s way to steal my joy, to kill my hope as a beloved child of God and destroy my confidence. Last week I found myself starting that spiral and did something different. I called out the lies, reminded myself of who I am and whose I am, called out the lies, prayed and found the listening ear of a friend to talk about it.
I suspect that the events happening in our world and our nation, the insidious, incessant news cycle, and fatigue, set me up (with my participation) for the thief to sneak in. At 71, I am much more aware of myself, more able to identify the thief sooner, and more equipped to launch a counter-offensive of truth that includes the presence of good friends. I can welcome this Achilles Heel, which is terribly deflating to any thief. That is when I experience real and eternal life more and better life than I ever thought possible. Like Jackson, I can come back, tail wagging, into the arms of our loving God. ~ Anne
Wayfinding 