So Many Words, So Little Said
by Annalene Holtzhausen
Today’s verse reminded me of the well-known saying where one refers to the ‘elephant in the room’, which implies there is ‘an obvious major problem or issue that people avoid discussing or acknowledging’ (Merriam-Webster).
It made me realise that we often do the same when it comes to sin or wounding in our own lives. We know deep inside that something is wrong, but we don’t address the actual issue. Sometimes we don’t really know what is bothering us, but we don’t make the time to wrestle with the Lord about it. We just continue with our lives and avoid the issue.
There are people who have a way of ‘talking it away’, or they talk about many other irrelevant things, which actually say nothing. Others may choose to withdraw from people, and become very inward focused. Reacting in anger and lashing out can be another way we use to cope with what is going on inside. We all cover up our sin and hurt in different ways.
Guilt, shame, fear, and even pride, are often reasons we avoid the sin or wounding in our lives. Pride can keep us from admitting and acknowledging sin in our lives, because we don’t want others to know our lives aren’t as perfect as they seem. Or maybe we made a huge mistake, and feel too embarrassed to admit what we did.
Perhaps we were deeply hurt by another person’s sin against us, but we feel guilt and shame over what happened to us, thinking it was our fault, when the truth is, it wasn’t. Fear can also overwhelm us when we try to acknowledge the issues we are facing. We may be afraid of people’s reactions, and what they will think about us. In this way, the enemy can weave lies into our thinking, which eventually become what we believe to be the truth.
When we feel overwhelmed by our struggles, let us remind ourselves who it is we belong to and where our worth is found. The Lord is our Maker, and He loves us as we are. He is the One we look to in the midst of our struggle and our pain. David chose to not hide his sin and iniquity from the Lord by confessing all (‘continually unfolding the past till all is told’), and the Lord immediately forgave him. What freedom that must have brought! We can follow David’s example and testimony, and also receive the Lord’s forgiveness, wholeness, and healing, by trusting Him with all we are. I love the last words in today’s scripture as written in the AMPC Bible: ‘Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!’
Annalene Holtzhausen is on the Associate Team at Ellel, Africa. She is married to Renier, who introduced her to Ellel Ministries. She is a full-time mother to their two boys. Her passion is for the restoration of women’s hearts and for people to find their worth in the Lord.
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