Caryn ignored her
sister’s text asking where she’d been last night. She knew last night had been
a mistake. Another one in a string of bad choices she didn’t want her family to
know about. Full of guilt and shame, she turned her phone off and refused to
answer her emails. Wanting to stay away from everyone who cared about her, she
went to bed and cried until she fell asleep.
Susan didn’t want
her friends to know about her son’s behavior, especially this last round of
trouble he’d gotten himself into. She was embarrassed and ashamed. Her family
was falling apart, and she felt helpless to stop it. She placed her Bible and
journal back on the bookshelf and decided to skip her Bible study. Again. She’d
claimed she wasn’t feeling well for the past two weeks…better to let them think
she was sick, rather than falling apart. Maybe today she wouldn’t offer an
excuse. She would just not show up. Eventually, her friends would stop expecting
her to be there.
Isolation is a tool of the enemy.
In her book Embrace Grace, Liz Curtis Higgs says, “…remorse and shame insulate
us. And isolate us.”
Isn’t that the truth? We worry about what others will think
of us, so we back away, from both, established and new relationships. We decide
that we won’t be accepted, so we keep to ourselves, not letting anyone close.
We isolate ourselves from others.
And even from God.
Isolation is a tool
of the enemy.
It keeps us detached and alone in the darkness—where the
enemy thrives…and we die.
But God never intended for us to live in darkness. His plan
is not for us to be isolated from Him, or from others.
Sometimes I need to be reminded.
Maybe you do too.
The enemy has already been defeated—for you and for me.
When he had received
the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
John 19:30 (NIV)
When Jesus rose from
the grave, He conquered sin and death— once and for all.
Satan whispers lies, telling us we can’t escape the
darkness. But he has no hold over us because…
Jesus speaks truth.
So if the Son sets
you free, you are truly free. John 8:36 (NLT)
Free from the enemy’s darkness.
Free from guilt, shame, and remorse.
Free from isolation.
Caryn awoke at the
sound of banging on her door. She peeked out the window and saw her sister’s
car parked out front. She wanted to pretend she wasn’t home, but knew she
wouldn’t get away with it. And she already felt lonely. Realizing how relieved
she was that her sister had showed up, Caryn opened the door.
Susan sat at the
table with her coffee, feeling very alone. First, her family, and now, she was
losing her friends. She glanced over at the bookshelf where her Bible sat, and
realized she hadn’t lost her friends. She was the one detaching herself from
them…and from God. Susan knew where she needed to be right now. She grabbed her
Bible and journal, and headed out the door.
Thank you for joining me here today. If you are studying Embrace Grace by Liz Curtis Higgs with
us, we are in Chapter 1 “An Open Door…I don’t feel like I belong anywhere.”
Has there been a time in your life when you isolated
yourself from others? Feel free to share your experience by leaving a comment.
In Christ,
Photo credit: Walking on the Sidewalk---Image by (c) Royalty-Free/Corbis
Thanks for sharing this my friend. I've felt a little isolated and alone in many areas lately. It's good to remind myself that's exactly how the enemy wants me to feel. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteThanks Barbie. When I realized that the enemy wants me to feel isolated is when I realized that many times I was doing it to myself--keeping myself away from others.
DeleteI love the Proverb that says a person who isolates himself rages against sound judgement, yet when going through tough times it seems to be instinctive to do so.
ReplyDeleteAgreed! Times I know I need to be around others seem to be the very times I don't want to be. Thanks Elizabeth.
Delete