Symptoms Of Something Bigger
I've heard that one of the first things to know in counseling other people is that the true problem is not usually the one that is first presented by the client(s). A couple may seek counseling for their marriage struggles, for example. They present their frustrations over communication, money, sex…but by the 3rd session, it comes out that the real problem is the husband's history with other women and the wife's nonexistent relationship with her father. The presenting problem was just a symptom of something bigger and deeper in both of them. In order to really bring healing, they would need to address those deeper issues and then the symptoms would be easier to address.
I think this is also true on a larger scale. We turn on the news and see many not so feel-good stories: Crime, riots, abuse, terrorism, drug overdoses... terrible stories. We shake our heads and say, "What is this world coming to?"
But they are all just symptoms of something Bigger. Ultimately, the heart of all of mankind's problem is the result of Sin coming into the world. There wasn't a negative thing to report in the Garden until Adam and Eve decided to taste test that forbidden fruit. It was all uphill after that as they became the world's first dysfunctional family - even to the extent of murder in their own household when Cain killed Abel!
On top of that huge problem, we have an enemy, Lucifer, who is out to kill, steal, and destroy us. Encouraging, right? Ha! Yeah, he certainly doesn't help. Whether we believe it or not, we are fighting an invisible war that is bigger than us. The awful things we see in the natural are often a symptom of the unseen battle taking place around us.
But then even beyond that, the heart of our symptoms are rooted in man's own choices. We have a choice every day to either include or exclude Jesus in everything we do - on an individual level, as well as a regional, national, and worldwide level. When we include Him, there is Life, Favor, and Blessing. But when we exclude Him, we are left to our own demise. Like the earth refusing to accept the sun's rays, we become a people who grope around in the dark, trying to figure out which way is True North.
Every evil thing in this world is a symptom of something spiritually bigger, deeper. The question is, will we put Band-Aids on the symptoms, or will we recognize the real problem? And will we come to the Great, Wonderful Counselor and find the deeper healing that we need to receive and that He is so willing to give?
I think this is also true on a larger scale. We turn on the news and see many not so feel-good stories: Crime, riots, abuse, terrorism, drug overdoses... terrible stories. We shake our heads and say, "What is this world coming to?"
But they are all just symptoms of something Bigger. Ultimately, the heart of all of mankind's problem is the result of Sin coming into the world. There wasn't a negative thing to report in the Garden until Adam and Eve decided to taste test that forbidden fruit. It was all uphill after that as they became the world's first dysfunctional family - even to the extent of murder in their own household when Cain killed Abel!
On top of that huge problem, we have an enemy, Lucifer, who is out to kill, steal, and destroy us. Encouraging, right? Ha! Yeah, he certainly doesn't help. Whether we believe it or not, we are fighting an invisible war that is bigger than us. The awful things we see in the natural are often a symptom of the unseen battle taking place around us.
But then even beyond that, the heart of our symptoms are rooted in man's own choices. We have a choice every day to either include or exclude Jesus in everything we do - on an individual level, as well as a regional, national, and worldwide level. When we include Him, there is Life, Favor, and Blessing. But when we exclude Him, we are left to our own demise. Like the earth refusing to accept the sun's rays, we become a people who grope around in the dark, trying to figure out which way is True North.
Every evil thing in this world is a symptom of something spiritually bigger, deeper. The question is, will we put Band-Aids on the symptoms, or will we recognize the real problem? And will we come to the Great, Wonderful Counselor and find the deeper healing that we need to receive and that He is so willing to give?
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