In elementary school grammar,
they teach us that personification is when we give an inanimate object, or a
concept, human-like characteristics. I could say, “The sun smiled down on me as
I walked in the park.” Most of us would agree that the sun doesn’t have a face.
I wonder if it does, though. I bet he would be hot ;) But, I suppose that’s
besides the point. We have always been taught that we are the ones that have the power to give things life. And that
got me thinking… why isn’t there an opposite
to personification? Why don’t we ever consider the fact that there are some
things in our lives that are unfruitful, that need to be killed?
Or, at the very least,
stripped of their power?
A thought crossed my mind
today that I’m almost afraid to share, but I’ll give it to you all anyways.
When people ask me why I walk with the cane, or why I took the semester off, or
even why I’m so tired, my response is that “the fibromyalgia has been kicking my
butt lately.” With walking as a
challenge, I’m almost always asking one of my best friends for a ride
somewhere… and anyone who knows me well knows that I am not a big fan of asking
for help. So I told myself this evening that, “this disease has robbed me of my
independence, and self-sufficiency.”
I guess the second thought
struck a cord with my spirit, and I realized that I’m unintentionally
personifying this disease. I have given it legs
to kick me with. I have given it arms,
and power, and strength to rob me with. Essentially, I have given it life to kill me with.
Shouldn't I be the one to kill it? Why does the disease have a hold on me?
And here I thought that I was the one with the power...
In Genesis 1:28, after God created
Adam and Eve, He spoke this word to them:
And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of
the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over
every living thing that moves upon the earth.
Now, if God has given us
dominion over every living thing upon the
face of the earth, what sense does it
make to allow an inanimate object (like
money) or an emotion (like feelings
of depression or inadequacy) or in my case, a physical ailment (like fibromyalgia) to have a hold on us? Why do
we let these things consume us? Why do they dictate the way we think, talk, and
perceive the world? Why do they have dominion and power over us?
The year is fast spent. We
are already in the second month of 2013. Each of us walked into the year with
new hope,
new expectations, and new desires. However,
we will never have the abundant life that we so desire this year if we continue
to give life to issues from previous years, and allow them to consume us.
Thanks be to God, I’ve never
had to have wisdom teeth removed, but I believe I have a basic understanding of
why others (like my brother) needed to have them taken out. You see, nobody is born with wisdom teeth. But as we grow, they grow
with us. In some people, they cause severe pain. In others, they take up a space that doesn’t belong to them. And in some people, they don’t really seem to be
causing a problem, but there is a HUGE chance that they will in the future. So what do we do with wisdom teeth?
Remove them.
I pray that God would reveal
to you whatever things need to be killed, removed, or stripped of power in your
life. I pray that the removal of this dead weight would free us up to achieve
our full potential this year and beyond. In the mighty name of Jesus, I commit
the reader to Your hands. Amen.
Proverbs 18:21- Death and life
are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit
thereof.
