PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: "I'M FINE"

From John Collins Ministries:

‘What’s wrong?’, ‘Nothing.’, ‘How are you?’, ‘I’m fine.’ 

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 (NKJV).

 How many times have these questions and answers been given in your life? How many unsaid issues get brushed aside, pushed down and built up? How many avoidances have you given or received? Why is it so hard to express what is going on inside? Our children don’t talk, we don’t talk, everyone avoids the real issues and ignores what is really going on. Is it any wonder why there are so many therapists out there? When did it become necessary to talk to strangers in order to express the truth? Why can’t we be honest with our loved ones? When did they become the enemy, the judge, the jury and the executioner? Is that how we feel about them, as if they couldn’t handle the truth of our souls?

Honesty has been buried in a wave of ‘I’m fines.’ 

Small issues and hurt feelings become grudges and hate. This world is turning on itself one person at a time, one family at a time, one neighborhood at a time, one city at a time, and one country at a time. Everyone is at war. No one wants to be honest and no one wants to find a solution and our reality has become a shell game of existence of hiding one part of our lives from the other. Where is the transparency of life, the simplicity of truth and the willingness to share all of who you are with the ones you supposedly love?

Avoidance breeds distrust and distrust breeds suspicion and suspicion breeds assumptions and the process undermines love and relationships are lost in the desire to avoid confrontation which leads to an explosion of emotion and words said that cannot be taken back and actions that follow that cannot be taken back when honesty and a willingness to listen and really hear what is being said can resolve so many issues in the first place.

Jesus taught us to listen with our hearts as He does and as God does. You would be surprised how many times your heart would have you forgive someone and your mind stirs up hate over and over again, how your heart would have you take time to help someone in need but your mind spreads fear and you give that instead, how many times your heart would have you humbled and apologize but your mind demands that you are right and deserve that apology instead, that your heart would have you reaching out for help but your mind isolates you into a world of despair.

Become more Christ-like today and begin to listen to your heart instead of your mind.

“Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” 2 Corinthians 13:11 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS