Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord ~ Acts 3:19
We often put on an act that we are okay. We hide our hurt under a mask of fake smiles that cover up the struggles we are really feeling. We are afraid of showing any sign of weakness.
The crazy thing is, if you’re hurting, it doesn’t mean you’re weak if it did, we would all be weak.
It’s okay to not be strong all the time. In fact, it’s impossible to be. Don’t keep your problems to yourself.
Dive into this devotional below which unpacks the benefit of sharing our problems with others!
Written by Reclaim Today
My 20s were a time of incredible stress. I was neck-deep in my graduate studies, volunteering as a youth leader at my church, commuting for work and school, and I was poor. I was so, so poor. I was worried all the time about how I was going to pay my bills and finish what was on my to-do list everyday. I was anxious to the point that I was having panic attacks in my car, at my intern site, and in the church bathroom. And I wasn’t talking about it with anyone.
I think that the silence of it was my downfall. It wasn’t that I was stressed and anxious that was the problem, because those things made sense for that time of my life. The problem was that I hadn’t admitted that I was feeling those things.
In Acts 3, Peter calls the people listening to him to turn away from the things that are getting in the way of their health and functioning and, quite simply, to turn to God instead. He doesn’t do this to shame them or make them feel bad, but so “that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” The act of admitting there’s a problem, of saying out loud the thing that is getting in the way, of not staying silent—that’s the very thing that is going to bring relief.
Why It Matters
When we keep the problem areas of our life to ourselves, we can spiral into a world of unhealthy thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. But, repentance—admitting those problem areas and turning away from them to turn toward God—is what eases the stress and alleviates pain.
A simple prayer like this can be all we need to get started connecting with God in our Lent journeys. To follow more of our journey through Lent and check out our other Lent devotions click here!
Original content by Reclaim Today. Reshared with permission.
