In caregiving, embracing meekness and purging spiritual toxins helped me locate flashes of peace in moments of turbulence. It brought me closer to Jesus because I became more like Jesus. What happens if we put too much air and pressure in a balloon? It pops. Without meekness, pressure builds up and we emotionally break. Embracing meekness (a fruit of the Spirit) deflates the pressure.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Matthew 5:5 (NIV)
It’s okay to fight with a disease like Alzheimer’s or cancer–for a season. There were plenty of times I wanted to kick the daylights out of that foul disease for stealing both my parents. Instead, ultimately God wanted me to adorn myself with the virtue of meekness, moving forward with gentleness and resiliency. It is better to diffuse than to be right or to fight. I don’t want to inhibit others or myself from encountering intimacy with God.
People do detoxes to regain physical health and remove poisonous toxins which build up over time. Removing physical toxins can be harsh—with headaches, fatigue, intestinal issues, even depression. We feel lousy before we feel better.
Similarly, purging spiritual toxins like pride, self-gratification, jealousy, and unforgiveness is necessary to maintain spiritual health. These toxins drop into our spirit like a cat jumping on the countertop when no one is watching—we don’t see it happening, but we see the destruction left behind. Spiritual toxins hinder our ability to abide in God’s grace, and they must be continually purged. Like physical toxins, spiritual toxins accumulate without recognizing them until something is unhealthy or broken. A doctor shows us our physical toxins—God directs us to our spiritual ones.
Want to read more? “UNDEFEATED INNOCENCE” (ch. 4, pp.46-47)
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