The Temptive Tongue
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
Temptation to complain when you are dealing with chronic illness, stress, overwhelm, cancelled plans, disappointment, or hurt can be so simple.
The Holy Spirit provides His grace when we are feeling low or like we are missing out on a life we thought we would have. Chronic illness grips its unwilling participant in talons that feel suffocating, maddening, and confusing. When you do all the right things, eat well, sleep, move your body, and it still isn’t enough to ward off inflammation, fatigue, gut issues, irritation, depression, headaches, blurry vision, vertigo, nerve pain, and the list goes on. You must make the conscious decision to lean into Him and soak up His compassion and grace. There will come a day when the pain, anguish, and suffering will end. I fully understand the weight of those words and there are days when our mental and emotional health is in the tank and we need others to lift us out or we might stay there forever. But, nonetheless Psalm 34:18 reminds us that He is near to the brokenhearted. Spurgeon wrote,
Broken hearts think God is far away, when he is really most near to them; their eyes are holden so that they see not their best friend.
Isn’t that the truth? He is the only one who truly understands the pain and anguish you live daily. The amount of “pretend” you have to muster up so friends and family still want to be in your life. He knows. He is brokenhearted with you and me.
The question people ask with such ease, “How are you?” carries a weight that the asker doesn’t fully comprehend. What if we did answer truthfully? Could they handle being on the receiving end of so much hurt and disappointment?
So what ask for clarity and restraint when you just want to complain about your current circumstances. Are you asking for help, seeking compassion or prayers or seeking to explain….or are you complaining, seeking pity, or only seeing the negative?
I know I need to get better at using discernment and discipline in this aspect of my life. The word says:
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
Let us focus on lifting each other up and showing each other compassion and grace. Let change the question, “How are you?” to “How is your soul today?” allowing respondents to really take an inventory of their mental and emotional state….along with physical.
