Skip the Intro

Netflix has taken our ability to binge-watch to a whole new level! Instead of having to get up every few hours to change the DVD’s, you can just sit there while one episode rolls over into two, three, four, twelve. To help speed up the watching marathons, the company added a beautiful feature: Skip Intro. The first time I spotted it, my eyes lit up at the fact that I could save those 30 precious seconds without having to listen to the same intro credits over and over and over again. This button allows us to skip the unnecessary stuff and get right to the meat. We can ditch the frills in exchange for the substance.

How often do we want to do that in our lives?

Recently, a number of circumstances have been revealing some of my beliefs about myself that aren’t in line with what God says about me. My perception of my identity and the reality of my identity don’t seem to match up, which is a pretty frustrating place to be in.

I can see the future I feel like I’m called to, I see what I want to do with my life lingering over the horizon and it’s bright. Then I look around and see the gaping chasm between where I am now and where I believe I will be. And that distance just seems to be ever-expanding.

“Can I just skip this part?”

This is what I asked God the other day—it’s worth a shot, right? I want to press the fast-forward button, I want to utilize the skip intro feature, I want to jump ahead into the future instead of drudging through the hard stuff.

“No. This is a necessary part of the process. I’m more concerned about your identity than your outcome.”

Oh. Well, when you put it like that…

Right now, God is healing my identity and my view of myself. He’s uprooting the lies that have seeped in over the years and he’s restoring to wholeness places of insecurity. He’s teaching me what it looks like to be his daughter and that’s mightily uncomfortable for me. And, honestly, at this moment, I really don’t like it. I don’t like this part of the process. I want it to be sorted out and fixed with a snap of my fingers, but that’s not how it works. And that’s not how it’s supposed to work.

There are many times throughout our lives when we have to slog through some unpleasantness, but it’s all for a purpose. While we’re so focused on the external situation being remedied, God is concerned with our identities. He cares about our hearts. He wants to heal the fundamental parts of us and that usually comes as a result of hard situations.

So, if you’re going through something hard right now and you feel like you’re being pressed on every side, I encourage you to cleave to God right now. Invite him in, let him heal you, allow him access to every part of you, even if it’s uncomfortable and hurts. Steep yourself in his word and begin taking what he says as truth. Memorize verses, reach out to your community, and serve others even when you don’t want to. Fast, pray, worship, and endure. Remember that you are not alone.

You can grow through this, my friend, I have no doubt.

To go Deeper: Read Life is Hard, State of the Heart, Don’t Disdain the Little Things