What it really means to “get real” …

When people have problems (and we all do throughout life), most of the time they want the problem removed rather than having to mature and change in order to rid themselves of the problem.

Most of the time, life doesn’t work that way.

How do you deal with the problem of weeds in a yard?

When you pull weeds, you have to pull up the entire plant including the roots. If you don’t pull up the roots, the weeds will grow back.

And that’s how you have to deal with problems. At some point, you have to “get real” and finally address the root cause of your problems, making changes at a root level.

Joe Thompson tells a very similar story with regard to sin and problems in our lives:

One morning I was having my daily devotions while eating cereal at our breakfast table. As I was reading, I ran my hand down the page of the Bible and felt a good-sized bump underneath the page. I thought, ‘I must have flipped a piece of cereal out of the bowl and didn’t notice it on the previous page.’ So I flipped back a page and the bump was still there, but there was no object. I flipped back another page only to discover the same thing. I then flipped back about five more pages to discover the bump was still there, but noticeably smaller. After flipping a couple of more pages I finally found the source of the bump. It was a small particle of something that was smaller than a grain of sand. Each page that covered the particle with another layer served to magnify it, giving the illusion that something much larger was beneath the surface.

The same is true with sin and problems in our life. If they are dealt with early they are no more than a small bump in our lives. However, if we continue to pile page upon page of life on top of them they begin to magnify themselves until they become very noticeable. Then we have to stop, flip back the pages and deal with the sin or problem to prevent it from affecting our lives.

That’s why competent Christian counselors often direct clients backward, because they’re looking for those root issues — that tiny particle — that is the root source of the problem in a person’s life. Once that is found and dealt with appropriately, real change for the better happens.

What it really means to “get real” is to get serious about finding that little particle of sin, that small grain of trouble that started and magnified your problems. We can often do this ourselves when we’re willing to be self-honest and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us into the truth about ourselves. Sometimes we need the help of a family member, friend, pastor, or Christian counselor to identify what the root source of our problems are. But finding those roots, and plucking them from your life is the only way you will ever “get real” and make the changes you need to make.

Is it time for you to “get real”?

Scotty