Today is the Day
When You are Tired Of Being Stuck In The Mud....
“Hi. I’m Ron. I remember when I thought wallowing in the mud was a lot of fun. But getting stuck there was no Laughing Matter”
Now you should say, “Hi Ron!” Thanks for sharing, There is grace for everyone".
Peter observed a dog returning to its vomit and a pig going back to wallow in the mud and God showed him that people can be like that (2 Peter 2:22).
It's easy to read Peter's words and start judging people who are foolish. Why does she keep struggling with that? What's the matter with him? He should know better than to do that! Be careful! That common response of using insight from God to judge others will distance you from the Holy Spirit and slowly drain the life out of your soul.
My Confession
So I consider Peter's words and ask myself, "What vomit have I been eating? What mud have I been wallowing in?"
A lot of times we are like that pig when we sin. We will wallow in discouragement, guilt, shame and condemnation. But thank God for Jesus who knew our frailties. For the guilty, the word of God declares in 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." If Jesus forgives you, forgive yourself and "Don't Wallow in the Mud!"
Just a couple of days ago I was jealous of a Christian leader's success. I prayed for this leader's ministry, but why didn't I keep praying? Why did I get so caught up in my work?
I'd like to say that the work I did was for God, that I was trying to help people in Jesus' name. But another motive crowded in to deter the holy one: I wanted to be recognized as special because of what I could achieve. I was trying to prove my worth. That's what I did so much of in my past as a workaholic.
But I thank the Lord that more and more over the years I've let God's Word read my heart, confessed my sins, and followed Jesus anew into increasing freedom.
How About You?
How about you? What vomit are you eating? What mud are you wallowing in?
There's a lot of research that's been done to help us understand compulsive behavior and the path to freedom. I've spent many hundreds of hours in firsthand research with "vomit eaters" and "mud wallowers", not the least of which has been done on myself with the help of love ones, mentors, and friends who have been "Christ's Ambassadors" to me (2 Corinthians 5:20).
More Truth Seeking
I recently read the following story: There was a lamb and its mother. The lamb passed a pig pen each morning on the way to the pasture with its mother. Watching the pigs wallow in the mud seemed like such fun and on an especially hot day, the lamb asked his mother if he could jump the fence and wallow in the cool mud. She replied, "No." Then the lamb asked, "Why?" The mother just replied, "Sheep don't wallow!"
This didn't satisfy the lamb. He felt she had "put him down, and exercised force she shouldn't have," etc. So, as soon as the mother was out of sight, the lamb jumped the fence and ran to the pig pen. He was soon feeling the cool mud on his feet, his legs, and soon his stomach. After a few moments, he decided he had better go back to his mother, but he couldn't; he was stuck. Mud and wool don't mix. His pleasure had become his prison. He cried out and was rescued by the kindly farmer. When cleaned and returned to the field, the mother said, "Remember: sheep don't wallow."
Sin is like that. It looks so nice, thinking we can escape when we wish, but it is not so.. Pleasures often become prisons. Moral of the story: Christians don't wallow.
You don't have to keep returning to sinful habits or wallowing in compulsive patterns. There are proven approaches to freedom and healing. "Step Out of the Cycle of Addiction" is one of a number of articles I've written to show you the path to overcoming your struggle.
