24/04/2014
Faithful Progress Isn’t Pretty*
Watching from the outside as someone you love is being put through the paces of a “life changing” experience can be quite nerve wracking. My Dad used to say “There can be no reconstruction without there first being deconstruction”, or simply, “No one can rebuild a better life until they go through the process of breaking down their current life.”
Friends, family and others can offer simple support or short term guidance to loved ones in crisis, but unfortunately sometimes certain attempts to help may actually enable the unhealthy patterns to continue. Offering comfort and attempts to fix or stop the suffering can prevent them learning the very important lesson which only rock bottom can teach.
When someone truly seeks Him, God is the ultimate designer of both deconstruction and reconstruction. The strategy in place is that before we can accept His blessings and have a productive, fulfilling and contented life, we must allow Him to shake things up, to show us where the problem areas are. Then we must learn to distance ourselves from the old ways we have been living and determine our minds to be renewed, through His word and an honest relationship with Him.
As you may have guessed, this is not a simple one time action. It takes many steps to undo all the unhealthy beliefs, habits and influences on our decisions, to completely remove their power over us. Sure enough, these steps aren’t all forward, we may take ten steps backwards before one faithfully productive step forward is earned. It can feel like we aren’t getting very far at all, and it can appear that way to those around us as well.
It can be tempting to get drawn in by those going through the ugliness of this phase, out of concern for the destruction we are witnessing, or our desire to prevent our loved ones from suffering. However, we may want to remember that progress isn’t pretty, and be reminded of how many times we had to fall and become a complete mess before we saw any progress in our own lives. Pray for them, love them, give them into God’s trustworthy hands, and try not to allow fear to motivate our contributions to their issues. Don’t let it make you lose faith in the possibility of positive faithful progress, which may be just around the next corner they take. Remember and believe that we serve a LOVING, FAITHFUL & AMAZING GOD!
Inner Angels & Enemies 
cttbbelliott said,
24/04/2014 at 10:18 am
Your words of wisdom are sooo well stated. You obviously know each individual success story cannot become just that, without His love. Kudos to you for a well told story. God Bless!
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The Water Bearer said,
24/04/2014 at 10:56 am
Thank you so much for your encouraging comment, and for taking the time to read my blog post. Yes I have seen enough worldly success fail to reach contentment, and enough fulfillment within God’s love to know which system really works. Thanks again. Blessings to you!
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Lori Lara said,
25/04/2014 at 4:49 am
Great post!
“It can be tempting to get drawn in by those going through the ugliness of this phase, out of concern for the destruction we are witnessing, or our desire to prevent our loved ones from suffering.” I love that line. So, so true!
Before I entered recovery, this is exactly what I’d do with my loved ones (and myself). Distract. Convince. Shift the focus. Shape the perspective into something positive. What a waste of time, and a prolonging of the pain.
I thank God for healing me and giving me the strength to just let the hard stuff be hard.
A person who will simply witnesses the struggle will soothe the broken hearted more than advice ever can.
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The Water Bearer said,
25/04/2014 at 8:25 am
Thank you Lori for your excellent comment and for sharing your heart here. I love what you said about God giving you the strength to just let the hard stuff be hard. That is profound. Thanks again. Blessings to you!
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