Not so Numb

It's hard to live this kind of life if you're allowing your mind to be numbed or your judgment clouded. Don't let yourself be intoxicated by the spirit of this age, but as Peter said, be "self-controlled and sober-minded."


This sentence is from my daily Power Point from Jack Graham (which is available below this blog). God has be going through a time where he is holding me accountable. Since making the switch from overworked supervisor to stay-at-home-mom, God has been able to reach me in the quietness of my day.
What caught my eye in this devotion is how it can be hard to live an active Christian life IF you are allowing your mind to be numbed or judgment clouded. It made me immediately self access, asking God candidly in what way has my attitude become numb or my judgment clouded?
I found that I have focused so much on other things. My priorities have been skewed and opportunities wasted. I have been recovering from a divorce and had focused on healing for a season and realized that I used my season of healing as an excuse for many things.
When I find myself justifying or scrambling to find a reason why I have to do something(instead of something I should), I realized that my mind was being clouded because I simply believed I deserved to watch TV or I deserved to avoid reading scripture because, etc. You can pretty much fill in the blank of any situation that you want to procrastinate.
I honestly believe that if a believer does not maintain themselves by being sober-minded, that they will reach a breaking point that steers them away from God and into another direction. If I had only realized that true healing from my divorce was in the power of the Word of God and not the latest TV show or upbeat song.
I believe that God knows the best for his Children and perhaps I needed a little distraction from the Biblical Training and intense Job I had at the time at the time of my divorce but I do believe that God is announcing the end of a season and a beginning of a new season. Although the intent of the above scripture from I Peter is for those who are focused on worldly desires, I know this scripture was breathed on my by God to nudge me into a new path in the journey.

So lets talk about not being so numb...

When I think of the word numb, I think of Ambesol. When I have a tooth ache and I don't want to go to the Dentist/ Doctor I put it on the area of my mouth that is in pain. I also think of the times I was a kid and did belly flops in the pool. The numbness on your abs is painful and foreign because your body just transferred multiple sensations through your nerves. I can parallel this to the many and painful experiences we endure in life. From big events to small, God still asks us to focus on him.

So when the Bible advises me not to be numb, I first would like to ask myself, what hurts? Why am I numb? How did I get here?

Personally, being numb is the feeling after pain. Life is painful but life is hard/ difficult when we allow the numbness to set in. If I prolong the numbness, I will become indifferent towards God, have a wrong perspective and make the wrong decisions. I also will have a crappy attitude and won't be a witness for Christ. I could say that when I find myself scrambling to justify myself I should see it at as a red flag to consider making a decision upon being a good witness for Christ and being sober-minded. I can't make right decisions nor have a Christ-like attitude when i am indifferent towards God. When I experience pain, instead of reaching for something to numb the pain, I look for a healing in God's Word.
Lord help me not to be wasteful of the lessons I learned and the time you have given me. Help me to stay focused on the cross and not my flesh. Amen.

http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/powerpoint/11633430/