We all do it, don’t we? Ignore something because it is just…easier. At least, it is temporarily easier. Here are a few I can think of:
–If I discipline and communicate with my child on a consistent basis, they will become a responsible adult.
–If I confront this person in love, we will be able to continue in a friendship full of love and grace.
–If I eat things that are good for me, I will stay at a healthy weight and feel so much better.
–If I study God’s Word, He will use that study powerfully in my life to grow me as a believer.
–If spend carefully and wisely, I will be financially secure and be able to give with generosity later on.
Of course, there are exceptions to everything. But, like Proverbs 22:6 (Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it) is a guideline for life…a golden nugget of wisdom, so the above statements are guidelines…patterns for us to follow. But we are awfully good at ignoring them, aren’t we?
And we all struggle with different things. I, for one, struggle with the whole food thing. Which I think I have mentioned here before! But I did learn a lesson the hard way this past month. I threw my whole eating plan to the wind and filled my body with junk on a pretty consistent basis. I was not careful of my sugar intake and felt too busy (operative word is FELT) to care about how many fruits and vegetables I ate. And, do you know what? I paid for it dearly. I felt so sick the whole month of December. Like I was operating at 50% power. Until, on December 30, I got incredibly sick…sicker than I have ever been as an adult. No one else in my house got sick. Just me. And it has made me wonder…did ignoring the TRUTH that my body needs good food to eat and cannot handle all of that sugar so weaken my immune system, that I had no way to fight back?
You may think that had nothing to do with it. But I will never let my guard down like that again. I will always be much more diligent, no matter what the time of year. That way, if I do get sick, I will know it is not due to my lack of self-discipline and my unwise way of eating.
You may not struggle with eating. You may religiously eat your vegetables and fruits. Sugar may not even appeal to you (could you tell me how you got to that point??!) But, I would encourage you to check other areas of your life that you may be ignoring an “inconvenient truth”…perhaps you know that your teenager is disobedient in the music they listen to…or the friends they hang out with. You know that no good can come of that behavior. But it is easier just to ignore it. Because you are tired of the battle.
Or maybe you are a spender. You go to the store and the beautiful merchandise calls your name. When you are swiping a credit card, it is so easy to forget that you will have to pay for that later. You ignore the truth that you will eventually have to pay for that item.
Or perhaps you are really struggling with a sin in your life. Or you have a decision to make. Or perhaps you need to forgive someone. God gives us the wisdom for life in His Word. And, yet, we ignore it. We would much rather “discuss it” or read the latest bestseller on how to help ourselves.
Or perhaps there is someone who has sinned against you or offended you deeply…they may not even know it. And instead of talking it through with that person, you have made the choice to just ignore it. Which is fine, if you are truly letting it roll off of your back. But, instead, many of us dwell on it, until anything that person does becomes irritating to us. They cannot even open their mouths without annoying us. We are ignoring the truth that loving confrontation heals relationships.
Romans 2: 5-11 says “But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who “will render to each one according to his deeds”:[a] 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God.” (emphasis mine)
We have a responsibility to pay attention to the truth in every area of our lives. Not just the convenient ones. Not just the doctrinal ones. But every area. It is my prayer that I will never let my guard down again. That I will never again ignore any truth. But, given my very unhealthy past month, it would appear I have a lot yet to learn!
The Book of Psalm abounds with verses about truth. In conclusion, I will leave you with a few–
Psalm 51:6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
Psalm 86:15 But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious,Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.
Psalm 91:4 He shall cover you with His feathers,And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
Psalm 119:30 I have chosen the way of truth;Your judgments I have laid before me.
Psalm 119:151 You are near, O LORD,And all Your commandments are truth.
Psalm 119:160 The entirety of Your word is truth,And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.
Thank you, Leslie! Soul-searching food for thought! You are right. It is easy to ignore things that need our attention and take self-discipline, but then we don’t move forward in our lives and grow.
I know. We have to keep going and sometimes we feel too tired to try! But we can’t let it go :)