I have this really awesome backpack. For those of
you who know me, you'll know how much I carry around. In all honesty, I don't
even know what's in my backpack half the time. I actually found a shirt in there
the day sitting comfortably amongst some tea bags. Yup, how that got there is a
mystery.
Long story short, last week, my poor backpack got a hole in it. It started out as a small hole, but as the threads stretched, the hole just got bigger and bigger and now my backpack is officially a convertible! Guess who has to sacrifice her daily coffee for the next two months to pay for a new backpack #FirstWorldProblems.
This got me thinking. How often in life do we have a small "hole": a problem or bad habit, that starts out small but as time goes by, it just gets bigger and bigger and bigger until a huge chunk of you ends up missing. Its fun owning a convertible (okay, well not if you care about the state of your hair), but it's not fun being one.
Long story short, last week, my poor backpack got a hole in it. It started out as a small hole, but as the threads stretched, the hole just got bigger and bigger and now my backpack is officially a convertible! Guess who has to sacrifice her daily coffee for the next two months to pay for a new backpack #FirstWorldProblems.
This got me thinking. How often in life do we have a small "hole": a problem or bad habit, that starts out small but as time goes by, it just gets bigger and bigger and bigger until a huge chunk of you ends up missing. Its fun owning a convertible (okay, well not if you care about the state of your hair), but it's not fun being one.
Having a hole means you are incomplete and at the
end of the day, God brings completeness if we allow Him. 1 Peter 5:10 says, “But
may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus,
after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle
you.” (Perfect=complete, whole).
This, however, means we need to make active decisions to fill in those holes. For example, your “hole” may be alcohol. Maybe it started out as one small drink after work/studies every day but then as time went on it, it became two then four then became a reliance on alcohol. To fill the hole, you need to make an active decision to get rid of that influence.
This, however, means we need to make active decisions to fill in those holes. For example, your “hole” may be alcohol. Maybe it started out as one small drink after work/studies every day but then as time went on it, it became two then four then became a reliance on alcohol. To fill the hole, you need to make an active decision to get rid of that influence.
Matthew 26:41 tells us, “Watch and pray that you
may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is
weak.” Don't put yourself in tempting situations. Using the above example, avoid buying alcohol at all,
change your shopping route so it's not near liquor stores, be accountable and
ask someone to grocery shop with you so you can't secretly buy your favourite
drink.
I am not naïve. I know it's not easy and I don't
think closing holes is meant to be easy. Even in the verse from 1 Peter above,
it says “after you have SUFFERED a while”. It will be tough, but it will also
be worth it. However, it is also important to remember that sometimes those
holes leak if you don't close them properly or rush the closing process. Imagine
a full bottle of water and you’ve lost the lid. Now imagine stuffing any old thing
inside the lid to attempt to cover it up and that bottle falls over. If it
doesn't cover the hole up just right, all that water is going to leak out.
Don't let the goodness in your life leak out because you're rushed trying to fix things. Good things take time and in Ecclesiastes, God tells us there is a time for everything (“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” Ecclesiastes 3:1). If you try to rush losing weight, odds are you'll do it in an unhealthy and unsustainable manner. If you rush cooking food, you may leave something raw and your friends may end up with food poisoning. Take a breath and remember that it's okay not to rush.
Don't let the goodness in your life leak out because you're rushed trying to fix things. Good things take time and in Ecclesiastes, God tells us there is a time for everything (“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” Ecclesiastes 3:1). If you try to rush losing weight, odds are you'll do it in an unhealthy and unsustainable manner. If you rush cooking food, you may leave something raw and your friends may end up with food poisoning. Take a breath and remember that it's okay not to rush.
Furthermore, filling a hole can be a grueling
process. If you have a hole in the garden and you try fill it with sand, it
can be a tiring. Your muscles may hurt, you may sweat like a beast and maybe
you'll feel a little faint. But want to know something AMAZING?! You don't have
to fill your holes alone. It doesn't matter if you don't have people around to
support you because you've got God and He will NOT let you do this
alone:
“Fear
not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen
you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Behold,
all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those
who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek
those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against
you shall be as nothing at all. For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”
Isaiah 41:10-13
Isaiah 41:10-13
He is holding your hand step by step and although
we have freedom of choice, He is there to guide you and give you direction so
that you don't end up filling the hole with the wrong-sized-stuffer-in-thing
(eish, clearly I haven't had an English lesson in over a year) !
Don't let the small things in your life turn into big things that overwhelm you. The best time to act is NOW, before it's too late. At the end of the day, your hole may end up affecting more than just you. My backpack hole affects me because I probably look quite sad walking around with a broken bag, but it affects everything inside my backpack as well. Anything can fall out and anything can come in. I don't know about you, but I don't want flies and gross bugs stealing my tea bags! If you don't fill your holes, you will start attracting even worse things and negativity. Using the alcohol example from earlier, I've heard so many stories of alcoholics ending up getting divorced, losing custody of children, spending all their money on booze and then losing their house and whatnot. This may seem extreme but it happens.
Don't let the small things in your life turn into big things that overwhelm you. The best time to act is NOW, before it's too late. At the end of the day, your hole may end up affecting more than just you. My backpack hole affects me because I probably look quite sad walking around with a broken bag, but it affects everything inside my backpack as well. Anything can fall out and anything can come in. I don't know about you, but I don't want flies and gross bugs stealing my tea bags! If you don't fill your holes, you will start attracting even worse things and negativity. Using the alcohol example from earlier, I've heard so many stories of alcoholics ending up getting divorced, losing custody of children, spending all their money on booze and then losing their house and whatnot. This may seem extreme but it happens.
So just to end off, here are three tips to cover
your "hole”:
Firstly, you need to admit that you have “holes”. Don’t deny it- we all have things we could work on but we don’t like to admit. I, for instance, could learn to cover my hole of procrastination. Yes, I am Michaela Christophers and I am a procrastinator-holic. You can’t fix something you don’t know its broken.
Firstly, you need to admit that you have “holes”. Don’t deny it- we all have things we could work on but we don’t like to admit. I, for instance, could learn to cover my hole of procrastination. Yes, I am Michaela Christophers and I am a procrastinator-holic. You can’t fix something you don’t know its broken.
Secondly, you need the right tools. Make sure you
have a sturdy spade and the right sand. Personally, I feel the most important
"thing" you need is God because with Him, nothing is impossible so
even the widest holes can get covered. “But Jesus looked at them and said,
“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew
19:26.
If your hole is an addiction or something similar, go to rehab, to counselling or professionals who have dealt with similar situations and know how to help you overcome.
If your hole is a bit more personal, maybe going to courses or setting goals or having an accountability partner could help you overcome that.
If your hole is loneliness, look for ways to make friends (join groups or common hobbies or societies at varsity etc) and DO NOT TALK YOURSELF OUT OF IT.
Lastly, know that you don't have to do this alone. Remember, God is always there and He WILL put people in your path to help you. I heard a sermon recently that spoke about how Christianity is relationship-based which is why fellowship at church is so important. There will be someone in your path to help you, and if you feel alone remember these two verses:
If your hole is an addiction or something similar, go to rehab, to counselling or professionals who have dealt with similar situations and know how to help you overcome.
If your hole is a bit more personal, maybe going to courses or setting goals or having an accountability partner could help you overcome that.
If your hole is loneliness, look for ways to make friends (join groups or common hobbies or societies at varsity etc) and DO NOT TALK YOURSELF OUT OF IT.
Lastly, know that you don't have to do this alone. Remember, God is always there and He WILL put people in your path to help you. I heard a sermon recently that spoke about how Christianity is relationship-based which is why fellowship at church is so important. There will be someone in your path to help you, and if you feel alone remember these two verses:
“For the sake of His great name the LORD will not reject His
people, because the LORD was pleased to make you His own.” 1 Samuel 12:22
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified
because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; He will never leave you
nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6
God is SO beyond proud to have you as His child and He WILL
NOT leave you to battle on your own. He has equipped you to deal with whatever
you are facing. His Word tells us that He will not give us more than we can
handle (1 Corinthians 10:13). I love the saying 'God gives his toughest battles
to His strongest soldiers'.
So come on soldier, show the world what you’re made
of. Get rid of those holes and help others fill theirs.
You’ve got this. Trust me, you're a lot stronger than you think you are ;)
