Admitting Who You Are… Today is Day 30 on our 40 day journey into, and out, of exile. I'm seeking to help you see what it takes to return from exile.

So far I said it helps to have a name for what your are experiencing: exile. Exile is more commonly called "loss,” or “setback.”  And that means you need to grieve the loss, a step many people skip and pay the price for it.

Then on Day 29 I said you need to learn to be silent and listen. Make space in your life to see what God wants to show you about your life and hear what he has to say.

Admitting Who You Really Are

Now today, let's talk about admitting who you are.  When God shows you who you really are, it’s important to admit it. Ouch. That's not fun. We put so much energy into NOT going there.

Some of us spend our entire lives ignoring what is plain to everyone else that meets us. Isn't that true? Someone can meet us and, in just a matter of minutes, discern a character defect that we have defended, excused, or ignored for decades.

Why is it so hard to admit what is so plain to others? 

Minimizing Your Weakness

A few years ago I was preparing my Sunday message and I wrote in the text that “I’m a bit of a workaholic.” I was going to laugh when I said it, a little chuckle to show my guilty pleasure of nursing a habit that I know is wrong, yet prized in our culture.

But I was convicted in that moment that I was making light of a problem that I have always had. I’m not a “bit” of a workaholic. I AM a workaholic, in recovery just like any addict. Either it's wrong or it's not. I can't cover it with a knowing laugh and hope people look the other way.  

But that's what we do, isn't it?  Rather than change, we put all kinds of defense mechanisms in place.

God Gives Us Eyes to See What We’ve Been Blind To

When God apprehended the apostle Paul and struck him with blindness, his quick response was:  "What would you have me to do?"  He immediately recognized that his blindness was an exile given by God to reveal to him what he was unwilling to see on his own.

In the same way, the story of Samson tells how he lived his whole life blind to his selfishness and greed until the Philistines burned his eyes out of his sockets. Only then did he begin to see what had been wrong with him his entire life.

My guess is you actually know what is wrong. You just haven't been willing to admit it. Thoreau said…

It’s not what you look at. It’s what you see.

Can you see what’s wrong or missing in your life? If you truly can't see who you are, you might want to invite trusted people to give you feedback to help you. Or see a counselor. Or simply ask God to give you eyes to see. He wants to show you. If you want to find the way out of exile, it’s important to first admit what's wrong.

What keeps you from admitting your character defects?

What can you do to help fully admit them and begin the healing process?

We often fear asking these questions. But answering them will help you to find your way out of exile.

These forty days of devotionals are adapted from my book, Return from Exile .

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