Jackhammer to the Heart

You hear it in the city.  You hear it on the side of the road.  But in my driveway?  

Yes.  I hear it too.

It’s the sounds of the jackhammer tearing up part of our driveway.  

I can’t say I’m happy about the circumstance.  But, it is what it is.  Right?

I’ve been keeping a close eye on this crew removing party of our driveway.   The concrete has been quite stubborn and it’s actually been kind of humorous to witness the crew scratch their heads having to come up with new ways to lift it out.

And at this point, they’ve tried everything to avoid the messy jackhammer.  

But, nothing else will work.  The concrete must come out. 

Such is the case for certain matters of the heart that must come up and be lifted out; where our actions, words or perceptions must be removed due to the conflicts they cause.  

Don’t we find ourselves scratching our own heads trying to figure out how?  Albeit, in my searching, I have yet to find the humor in any attempts to lift the “concrete” out of my own life because it is way more stubborn then the stuff in my driveway.  Do you feel the same?

So, what do we do? 

Our first reaction seems to be to try to manage our behavior.  Matt Chandler, of The Village Church, describes managing behavior like mowing the grass.  You can scalp it as much as you want, but the grass will grow back.  Managing our own behavior doesn’t work for the long haul.

Then, what does? 

For starters, we must accept a very frustrating (but ultimately good) conundrum.  

We don’t have the power to conquer the issue ourselves.  Only God does.  

Many of you might baulk at this and say:  What I’m dealing with is impossible to overcome.  Believe me, I’ve prayed.  I’ve tried.  I’ve done everything right and I’M STILL DEALING WITH IT.  

Yup.  Me too.

So, shall we then wallow in our state of despair?  I’ve tried that and it doesn’t get me any further in my endeavor except into more pity, more despair and then, whoa, I’m depressed.  

Or how about a numbing mechanism like, retail therapy, drinking, drugs, other relationships?  Based off the reports of others, these don’t work either.  

So, what in the world will work?  

Actually… nothing will. 

Zero.

Zip. 

Nada.

Why?

Because everything in this world is temporary.  Nothing, not even ourselves, has the power to overcome the most difficult concrete in our lives.  

Thus, we must go to the eternal and find ourselves back at the altar of God, standing there helpless, sorrowful and wondering if we’ll ever make it.  What a humbling experience.  Ask me how I know.

And if you are like me, you even more mad at yourself for having circled this mountain again (like the Israelites did) thinking you had already overcome the issue.  You can’t stand yourself for where you are and what you’ve done.

I so get that.

However, let’s realize, it is exactly the place we need to be.

Hold the phone.  “Whatcha talkin’ about Willis?”  

When we go back to God, ask yourself the question:  Where are you?  

Aren’t you in His arms?  In His love?  Soaked, bathed and washed clean in His grace?

Yes… you are.  

But, then, there is still the issue of the jackhammer.  “What about that?”  You ask.  The problem is still there.  The apostle Paul was dealt the same hand.  Check this out:

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do,” (Rom. 7:15)…  

“…For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it,” (Rom. 7:18-20).

In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Paul likens his “concrete”, his issue or his sin, to that of a thorn; one that stings and can’t be removed, it is so deep.  Like us, He needs a jackhammer to the heart.

But what does Paul sense God saying?  

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness,” (2 Cor. 12:9). 

Say what?

In every time we are weak, in every moment our issue war against us, God will give us His strength to prevail.  God will renew us and carry us through that very moment.  It is one of the reasons He instilled His Spirit in us who believe.  

“He will convict…. (and) He will guide you into all truth,” John 16: 8 & 12, (parentheses mine.)  

2 Corinthians 12:9 also aptly reminds us that many times, our weakness won’t be just lifted out of our lives.  It will have to be jackhammered, thrust out, piece by piece, each moment at a time.  It won’t be easy.  It will be painful.  But, once it is removed, it will lead to a quietness of soul and a subsiding of the conflict.  

And just like when a thorn is finally dislodged, healing can—and will— take place.  Any infection will be restored.  The bad will be replaced with the good.

Also keep in mind that God’s method of jackhammering comes with His hands of comfort, His word of Hope, His Spirit of Renewal.  

Thus, take heart.  God has all of us on a moment to moment plan: where we can find the power to overcome our weakness and be empowered by His Spirit, love and grace— over and over and over again.  He gets that our concrete is too heavy for us to lift that’s why He created a plan to jackhammer it for us; for He is the only one who can.

So this day, if you feel that your concrete is impossible to remove, rest in God’s provision.  He will jackhammer this out, and you, in His sufficient strength, will overcome.

“Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom. 7: 25).

There goes that jackhammer again…

___________________________

Encouraging Words of our Lord:  

“He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand,” (Psalm 40:2).

“Stand firm, and you will win life,” (Luke 21:19).

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery,” (Galatians 5:1).

“…Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem…
Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged… 
Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you,’” (2 Chronicles 20:17).

“…but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses.  Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties… 

…For when I am weak, then I am strong,” (2 Cor. 12: 5b-10).

“Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go,” (Joshua 1:9).

Copy and Photos © Candice Irion.  All Rights Reserved.  

Scripture reverences are from the NIV Bible.