“I know I’m supposed to tell the truth, but…”
“I know God says I need to do this, but…”
“I know what I’m doing is a sin, but…”
What are we supposed to do when life seems to tower like a giant over what we know is the right thing to do? How are we supposed to trust that God’s way is the right way when it looks absolutely impossible?
In preparation for the upcoming Infusion Bible Study on Forgetting the Fairy Tale I have been digging more into the root of what a fairy tale means. According to Merriam-Webster.com, a fairy tale’s definition, synonyms and antonyms are:
1a: a story involving fantastic forces and beings (as fairies, wizards, and goblins)
1b: a story in which improbable events lead to a happy ending
2: a made-up story usually designed to misleadSynonyms: fable, fabrication, lie, falsehood, falsity, fib, mendacity, prevarication, story, tale, taradiddle (or tarradiddle), untruth, whopper
Antonyms: truth
Did you catch that last part? The opposite of a fairy tale is truth. God’s Word is truth. So when we choose to believe that our way is better than God’s way, or that our circumstances provide a logical excuse to ignore the Bible’s commends, we are choosing to live a lie. We are buying in to the Enemy’s fairy tale.
That might seem innocent to you, but consider the consequences…
- Eve thought she could eat the forbidden fruit and it would be okay. She plunged the entire world into sin.
- Sarah thought she could work the system to have a child through Hagar. Thousands of people have died through the generational war between Isaac and Ishmael’s descendants because of that decision.
- Achan didn’t think it was such a big deal to take a few spoils of war that God had said to leave alone. As a result 36 husbands and sons were killed in battle and Achan’s entire family was killed.
God doesn’t care about your “but.”
Mine either. In fact, He knew that we would want to argue with Him at times, because we’re His kids and that’s what kids do. So He beat us to the punch and wrote this:
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. – 1 Corinthians 10:13
Is God’s way always the easiest way? No. But it is always the best way. His way may have consequences that don’t jive with our wish lists, but the consequences of doing right always include His blessing with whatever earthly bitterness might also come about. So bite back that “but” and submit yourself to God’s way instead of your own. You’ll be thankful you did in the end!
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. – Proverbs 3:5-6