Therefore his disaster will come suddenly—in an instant he will be broken, with no remedy. Proverbs 6:15, TLV

Any Disasters on Your Horizon?   If you’re a daily reader of Proverbs, we might blink past today’s verse. I know I did it for years. On the surface it doesn’t appear to apply to us. The subject addresses the curses an evil man does (vss. 12-14). And we’re not evil, right?

But, one day verse 14 struck me, “with deceit in his heart stirring up strife.” Are there times when we have deceit in our heart — and not even realize it?

Over the years I’ve observed decent, Jesus-followers — who would never intentionally cause someone harm — cause real damage in the lives of others. Why? There are spiritual “pockets” of unresolved issues from their past. Issues that generate strife in their life, and subsequently produce strife for those around them.

I was one of those souls. I struggled with perfection. From issues with my childhood, I thought I had to be perfect to be loved. Therefore — sadly — others around me had to be perfect before I could truly trust and love them.

Any time a wounded part of me surfaced, the storm clouds in my heart created behaviors that chased away others.

A little latitude?

I hope you’ll allow me a little latitude. Here we go.

If we produce strife around us when certain triggers occur, and we don’t seek the LORD for healing and restoration, then there will come a time when we’ll break. But this is not a bad thing. When we humble ourselves and allow our Heavenly Father to reveal the “deceit,” the lie we’ve held onto we’ll be set free.

There came a moment where I felt my world crashing down. People around me were frustrated with my judging and I was alienating folks right and left. My world was a disaster.

Finally, I realized the repetitive nature of these disasters had one thing in common — me. Once that reality struck, my Father had me where He wanted me. The place where I could learn how to be set free.

What is the common denominator?

So, when disasters seem to follow us wherever we go, before we point the finger at others, maybe we can check our own hearts. See if the common denominator is us. Just know, eventually — because He loves us — we will have to deal with these issues. And, as uncomfortable as that may feel, my friends, the joy of freedom more than makes up for it.

May we check our hearts, my friends.

Something to Think About

When those emotional disasters follow us, have we ever noticed what the common denominators are? Has it ever been us?

Thanks for not blinking past this proverb. I am grateful for your comments, insights, and shares. God bless you!