D.I.Y.

I see a lot of products and stores talk about D.I.Y., or better known as Do It Yourself. There's nothing wrong with that since it can be enjoyable to do projects "yourself" and not have to hire someone to do it all. Most of my D.I.Y. projects don't always turn out as I hoped, so I usually need help anyway. I know my limits.

From a Christian perspective, D.I.Y. has very little place, though. There's not much about Christianity that is D.I.Y., other than prayer and obedience. However, even those are "gifts from God" and He is the One who teaches us what to pray and enables/equips us to obey. The Christian walk is not intended to be D.I.Y. We need God our Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and other believers. That contradicts our cultures push for independence and "do it yourself" thinking.

Adultery recovery is not D.I.Y., either. Men and couples who have tried to do it alone, rarely see the growth they hoped for and needed. Spending energy to keep it a "secret" and trying to do it without the help of other growing believers is not wise. It's tempting to say, "It's none of their business," or "We can do this alone," but it can lead to more problems or unhealed wounds; and delay recovery.

Don't get me wrong, many aspects of our recovery is done privately - prayer, Bible study alone with God, counseling, etc. But it doesn't end there. Face to face accountability, mentoring, testimony sharing, and walking with others in need of hope and healing takes us out of the privacy of our recovery and into the lives of others. We need it. Others need it. It's a both/and kind of deal.

We were not intended to do life solo or isolated, though there are many days it is tempting to withdraw and hide. Some days it seems easier to crawl back in bed or stay hidden at home. There are aspects of our recovery journey that I can't "figure out," fix or make happen the way that "seems" best. I can't simply D.I.Y. I am at God's mercy, and thankfully He is full of mercy. He knows what's best. He sees the big picture. He is at work. He is "holding all things together." He is good. Through Him and other people He has brought into our lives, we can hold on to hope and trust His plans.

I need so many things to make it through this journey well...

• Freedom from shame and past failure
• Delight in Christ rather than things of this world
• Gratitude when I lose sight of all God has done
• Peace when I feel anxious and fearful
• Hope when mine is fading
• Power when mine is gone
• Wisdom when I feel clueless about what to do next
• Accountability and encouragement when I feel like withdrawing
• Forgiveness when I doubt His goodness and miss the mark
• Provision when I can't make it happen

God has called us out of D.I.Y. thinking and living. He is inviting us to participate in His life; to abide in Him; rest in Him. To walk through life with others. To "test and approve God's will, his good, pleasing, and perfect will." To delight in Him; to "trust Him and lean not on our own understanding." To "know Him and the One whom He sent." To cast all our cares on Him. To find our life and identity in Him.

He's that crazy about us. Mind boggling. That doesn't sound like D.I.Y., so why do I keep resorting to that mindset? I am slow. Strangely I have "trust issues." He has done everything to prove He is trustworthy and good, and yet I still struggle to let go and believe. Forgive me, Jesus. Do for me what I am unable to do for myself.

John 5:19-20, The Message (MSG)

What the Father Does, the Son Does

^19-20 So Jesus explained himself at length. “I’m telling you this straight. The Son can’t independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son does. The Father loves the Son and includes him in everything he is doing."