Buddy Tape

Almost a month ago, I looked down and realized I had jammed my big toe at some point. It was the one on my right foot, so I tend to not always pay attention to the pain on that side especially when I need to go visit the chiropractor. When I looked down that day I noticed that it was black and blue and all of a sudden the pain made sense. (I also noticed I needed to make a pedicure appointment, but I digress). I had written the pain off to just the usual when in fact it was a new pain. I also knew it was still flip flop season and taping up the toe wasn't going to be easy. Most days I wore the shoes I wanted and just taped the toe when at home. Do you know how long it takes for something to heal when you try to make the process on your own schedule instead of just dealing with the inconvenience and doing what needs to be done?

Happy to report my toe has been taped pretty much solid since I wrote the first paragraph Saturday. I've had this title in my head for a week or so, and God's been slowly painting this picture for me. I'm stubborn, God knows it and well He and I are working on that. I'm a visual learner though and God doesn't waste a moment to a paint a picture.

I'm four weeks into a small group this semester on Freedom. Heads up, the blog posts are coming on the other side of this process I'm sure. This is a process I've been taking my time at with over the last two years. My friends in Nashville spoke life into it to start the process, but it's taken longer than expected. Then again, I was trying to compartmentalize things. It's kind of like the toe that I taped when I wanted to. I worked on the freedom as long as I was in Nashville or talking with them, but the wall stayed up everywhere else. Can I let you in on a lesson learned the hard way? Transparency isn't comfortable, but it's how you get free. We delay the process on our own when we treat the wall like a curtain that can be raised up and down at our choosing. Hear my heart, do we need to tell everyone our junk, heavens no. However, those that God has called you to do life with, to minister with, to serve alongside etc., those stay sensitive to God's whispers, and if says let them in...do. It's a lot easier to go through the process of unpacking junk if you aren't doing it solo. (That's a blog for another day,from a lesson learned the hard way of not letting some people in) That being said, I'm great at living behind a turtle shell....but small group this semester has brought the connection piece. It's been the buddy tape to work towards healing, that if left up to me probably wouldn't have happened anytime soon. God knows His timetable and I truly believe sometimes He brings in a wall of burnout to grab your attention and make you listen to Him. The obedience step that comes next is ours, but if our hearts desire is restoration and freedom.....God's going to keep promoting and stirring until we take the step jump in.

Child of His, sweet reader...God's heard the prayers you have been asking Him for over and over and over....and He's putting things into place for you to grab a hold of what He's promised was yours to take. It's yours for the grabbing.