“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1 NIV)
As you may know, I have never been the greatest in tying shoes that stay tied all day. Repeatedly, almost daily, my effort to master the art of tying my shoelaces is evident by my undone strings. Many days, my focused effort fails, and I end up with a knot that I believe would challenge the most skilled medical surgeon. With the knots comes built up frustration and wasted time. My mood evolves quickly into a mangled type of madness that multiplies with every passing minute that I am trying to undo the knot.
Determined to win, for a dedicated period of minutes, I finally succumb to defeat I cut the knot, throw away the lace or adjust the remaining shoestring for the next day, and I go on with life. At that point, instead of reeling in defeat, there is much relief. My feet probably, at that moment, start wishing they had the ability to speak and if they did, they would cry out, “I’m free! Praise the Lord I’m freed! No longer bound, no more laces holding me!”
Let’s get serious for a moment. When dealing with the stubborn knots of life, I think we should do one of the two remedies that I apply in fixing the knots in my shoes. We either need to cut “the knot” and throw it away, cast it aside, or we need to make some adjustments so that it can be reserved. The latter approach, by the way, should be used in the marriage relationship.
Yet let’s face it! Let’s be for real; really transparent. There are some knots that show up in our daily living that produce frustration, rob us of time, and beg for a quick remedy. There are knots that the enemy, Satan, keeps creating to the point that it provokes anger and causes us to be mad at someone, mad at self, mad at a situation, mad at sin’s effect, and mad at stuff that has happened in the past; stuff that should remain in the past. Knots! We all experience them.
Hence, when knots show up in our lives, we just have to deal with them correctly. You can keep working on undoing it and while doing so pray for patience that your effort produces a victory. In some cases, the knots have to be cut and the “whole lace” cast aside. Speaking in a parabolic way, I’m talking about bad habit knots, situational knots caused by leaning on our own understanding, stuck at status quo knots, criticizing and seldom complimenting knots, and addiction knots. To deal with any type of knot that properly deserves your efforts to undo it and preserve it, keep working on it. For the knots that are bad habit knots, obstinate, stubborn knots, just stop dealing with it and throw it away with one move. Even with addictive behavior, this advice is applicable. Listen! It took one move for you to get in it to your addition, and it can take one move to get out of it. Just stop! And then, turn to the Lord for help.
If you are dealing with knots that come from leaning on your own understanding, follow the Biblical advice, “Trust in the Lord and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He (God) will direct your path.”
If your knot is disappointment or thoughts that keep you bound up, cut that knot and through away disappointing thoughts. Instead, spend your time on things that will bring you joy; things pleasing to God Furthermore, abandon focusing on the disappointments and focus on the appointments you have with God! Appointments to pray! Appointments to study the word; looking at what it says, what it means, and what it means to you! Appointments to improve your serve or better said, your serving the Lord. Give Him your mind, body, and soul! And when you start focusing on things that are not right, from any perspective, keep turning in faith to God and know that everything will be alright!
Deal with the negative knots in life appropriately and like my feet desired to do, you can actually do with what they could not do with your voice. Declare “I’m free!” Have a great Thursday! Work on those knots! Look to the Lord for help for He is, as the word states, a very present help in time of trouble. Be blessed!
“So, I am well pleased with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, and with difficulties, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak [in human strength], then I am strong [truly able, truly powerful, truly drawing from God’s strength].” (2 Corinthians 12:10 The Amplified Bible)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King