It's All Good: 12 Devotions to Embrace Your NowSample

Don't Ignore Your Splinters

Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. HEBREWS 4:16 NLT

Have you ever had a splinter? Blaming the wood for it won't help a whole lot. Ignoring the splinter won't either. What helps you move on from your splinter is slowing down enough to get your splinter out. The splinter, if it stays stuck, will lead to a larger infection and greater pain.

Spiritual surrender means accepting that life has splinters. Blaming the splinters won’t help a whole lot. Neither will be ignoring them. Surrender accepts that sometimes the best thing to do when you get a soul-splinter is to slow down. Check it out. Feel where it hurts so you can identify where it is, especially if it’s embedded and you can’t see it. Then, remove it.

Resisting our emotions, especially the painful ones, only causes our emotions to fester and grow. These festering emotions can become a new problem all on their own. So, now you not only have the soul-splinter, but you also have additional festering emotions and their results. Just like you need to feel your splinter to identify where your splinter is, feeling your emotions is part of identifying them and ultimately freeing them. And just as you may need to draw near to a friend or family member if you are unable to remove the splinter yourself, you need to draw near to God to help with your “spiritual splinters.” Whether that help comes through His Word, healthy friendships, a therapist—or a combination of these and more—He has ways to help you if you are open to them.

God gave us our feelings for a reason. Cooperating with those reasons helps us heal. Emotions exist to guide us, guard us, and help us grow.

Your emotions, in and of themselves, cannot harm you. Just like a splinter, in and of itself, cannot harm you. It’s only when you leave it there for far too long that it can develop into an infection. Similarly, feeling sadness won’t hurt you. But avoiding your sadness for far too long can. Feeling fear can’t hurt you. But avoiding your fears for far too long can. Living a present life involves allowing yourself to feel your present moments as they come—even the painful ones—addressing them as they come and then moving on.

Jesus, I draw near to You to help me in my time of spiritual need and soul splinters so the pain doesn't linger too long. Amen.