The Point

It wasn’t long after takeoff that he knew he had a problem. He radioed control for viable options. None of the options given would work. He was on his own and would have to do something bold, courageous, and difficult.

“My physical response to the stress was strong,” he later said, “but I knew I could do it.”

I believe there comes a time in each of our lives when we are like Captain Sully, who in January of this year landed a 60 ton passenger plane in the Hudson River. One hundred and fifty five lives depended on his skill and determination and he did not let them down. We likewise come to a point in our lives (sometimes of crisis) where we know drastic measures have to be taken.

Furthermore, we understand that we are the one to take them. We are the one at the helm and we will either fight for our lives and the lives of those on board, or we will cave to the fear and pressure, ignore the inevitable outcome, and simply hope for the best.

The key to survival lies in realizing God’s promise and our personal role in affecting the outcome.

There is a biblical example of arriving at this point and the balance between God’s provision and our personal responsibility. In Numbers 13-14, the Israelites came to the edge of their promised land. They sent in spies to check out the situation and an alarming report came back: although the land was good, it was inhabited by giants and fraught with danger.

Like Captain Sully, the Israelite’s physical response to the news was strong. Numbers 14:1 says the Israelites cried and wept and carried on in hopelessness. Unfortunately, unlike Sully, they never got a grip and allowed their faith to rise to the challenge. They never reminded themselves that because God had promised them this land, they could take it.

History tells the tragic outcome. Their carcasses fell right there in the wilderness. They never made it to their promised land and their children wandered around their dried bones for 40 years. When the children reached their own point of decision, praise God, they didn't follow in their parent's footsteps. They exercised faith and forged ahead, one stronghold and obstacle at a time.

I’ve shared before that for many years of marriage I thought a “good” sex life with my husband was good enough. I didn’t think it necessary to address the underlying issues that caused an occasional warning light or technical difficulty. In truth, I was ignoring the severity of the situation and refusing to take possession of the promised land.

Then one night, The Indicator sounded off and I knew it couldn’t be ignored any longer. I knew trying to change or tweak my behavior wasn’t enough. I had to get to the core of what was going on and take responsibility to move into the territory God had promised…or I and my household would fall right where we stood.

When taking our promised land (in sexuality or in anything), we are faced with three aspects of who we are: our behaviors, our beliefs, and our bedrock. “Fixing” behaviors alone is not enough, nor is it lasting. Christ desires to change the foundation of who we are, and when that happens, the beliefs and behaviors change as well.

Our bedrock is mostly shaped in childhood and early adulthood…which means it is shaped by the hands of others. Poor parenting, neglect, abuse, loss, trauma, social and peer issues, even a legalistic and works based religious environment can all shape our bedrock for future fault lines. Some of us have healthy bedrocks and don’t need a complete remodeling. Others of us however (like myself), come with a bedrock of ruins and need a complete rebuilding.

From here on out, we are going to focus on rebuilding the bedrock in real, practical steps. The key is in balancing God’s provision and promise with our responsibility. He has promised all that we need. He has provisions for every obstacle…but that doesn’t mean we just sit. We have to actively move forward in faith and “see the salvation of the Lord.”

Today I will leave you with a scripture and a question. When it came time for Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple, God told him, “I know what remains seems to be a worthless nothing. Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, and work! For I am with you! I will fill this temple with glory.” (See Haggai 2:1-9)

Even if our sexuality lies in ruins, God has promised to be with us. It may seem beyond repair, but God says "I will fill My temple with glory." That's you, my friend. You are God's temple and His desire is to fill you with glory. We've got some work cut out for us in rebuilding the ruins, but like Captain Sully, we can do it! We've got God's promise and His provision for the task.

My question for you is, Do you have a healthy bedrock or is some remodeling in order? Have you come to the point in your life where you are ready to rebuild the ruins?