Bury the Past

I love a good rescue story. Don’t you?

A while back, my eyes were glued to the TV for days as 33 men were trapped in a mine buried deep in the earth. The world crashed in on these men, and they were literally buried alive. For 69 days, they struggled to breathe in an ever-increasingly suffocating environment.

Can you imagine how alive they must have felt on the glorious day when they were lifted up out of the pit? Every breath was a gift.

Here’s the thing. Those men moved forward toward the light and never looked back.

They never returned to the abyss.

It’s absurd to imagine that they’d wake up the next morning and decide to go excavating through the ruins to open back up that gaping hole and then abide in that environment.

Once you are set free, why would you return to your prison?

Sadly, I know many people who do this on a daily basis. I’ve even struggled to resist the urge myself.

The enemy of our souls wants to poison the atmosphere with shame and guilt. We are free and breathing the pure air of God’s forgiveness and grace, but our accuser wants us to lose our equilibrium and fall back into the pit of fear and doubt.

You don’t live engulfed by condemnation any more.

The blood of Christ has covered your past. You’ve been lifted up out of the mire, and your feet are firmly planted on the Rock.

Rather than sink into shame, bury the past and breathe in God’s grace.

‘

Breathing Exercise:

Read Psalm 40. What steps did David take to stay out of the pit?

Read Philippians 3:7-16. What “marching orders” does Paul give us regarding the faith-forward life?

Listen to this life-giving testimony and song. Breathe a prayer of thanks to your Healer because you “get to breathe” today. You are free. Ask Him for the courage to let go of shame and move forward with renewed faith.

Something to think about…

6 Comments

Why return to our prison, indeed? Great question and great challenge in your post today! 🙂

Thanks so much for hosting the party. Bless you!

I think it’s Beth Moore who talks about moving into our pit and picking out curtains. Guilty! Thanks for this encouragement to resist the pit-dwelling life.

The story of the Chilean miners really spoke to me, too, Lyli. Read the book, saw the movie. It’s a story I won’t soon forget. May I take it to heart now in a new way, and remember not to return to my own pits—thanks for the insight on this story.

Oh, Lyli….what a wonderful, wonderful devotion this is! Keep threading words in the way you do. It’s a gift. And the links for action? L.O.V.E. (And I’m listening to Danny G. as I type this.)

Lyli, what a wonderful theme for your 31 days of writing. Oh, my, I was thinking just yesterday I need to figure out how to add margin to my days and weeks, so I can breathe! Thank you!