My Own Worst Enemy

It’s great to be back.  The server switch is complete, but No Images for now.
Another detail to adjust I guess.  *Sigh  Hang in there with me.

I didn’t understand what my fourth grade teacher meant in the report card comment.

“Sandy (for I was known as such when I was younger) is her own worst enemy.”

It was so puzzling to me that I held onto that document for decades. It drew my mind back to those days every time I came across it.

I mean … I was trying so hard to please everybody. I was paying attention in class and doing my homework. Sure, I had to stay in from recess because I was talking a lot. But how could I possibly be making things more difficult for myself?

I’ve come to accept that perhaps Mrs. Sterns was unknowingly prophetic.

You see there are some deep-seated habits from those days that accompanied me into adulthood. I trust you recognize the same dynamic in your own life. We say or hear phrases that echo from our past. A feeling washes over us that brings back a memory. The sense of déjà vu lets us know we’ve been in this position or predicament before.

The further we go in life the broader the view we have about the contributions we’ve made in various situations that have shaped our journey. Yes, bad things and good things have happened around us … to us … but our responses go a long way to either temper or escalate them.

Once we take on the challenge to change, the task can seem daunting. Thankfully we who are in Christ do not need to battle self-destructive patterns alone.

“But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:26

Jesus lived among us. He understood the crush of living in a fallen world. In compassion He prepared His people for His departure by promising the presence of the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us. As we rely on the provision of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit we make our way toward healing.

Where do you catch yourself getting in your own way?
What are you finding helpful to change the pattern?

Let’s get a conversation going.