February 8, 2005
Encouragement for Today 

Is There a Snake in Your Life?
Mary Nash, Certified Speaker, Proverbs 31 Ministry

Key Verse:

"He reveals the deep and secret things; he knows what is in the darkness and the light dwells with him." Daniel 2:22 (NIV)

Devotion:

Everyone has pain in their lives, some more than others.  There are many kinds of pain.  Physical pain can come and go but emotional pain seems to hang on forever.  It can be so personal, will consume your life and permeate every thing you do.  Getting rid of pain is not easy and often demands a long arduous journey of years.  Dealing with pain can be especially difficult if someone in your past robbed you of your trust, your joy or the innocence of childhood.

Many people are in the habit of carrying around the pain from their past.  They walk, not in the light of the promises of God, but in the shadows of a dark room where reflections are scary and the light eludes them.  I was one of those people for many years.  I lived with a "snake" in my life.  One I hated. Instead of turning the light on to find the snake and kill it, I was constantly running as fast as I could, trying to stay in front of it.  I knew in my heart that God was big enough to handle the snake but I seemed to have forged an unhealthy friendship with it that I was not willing to give up.

In searching for a way to rid myself of the snake, I learned some things.  First, there is no simple or magical cure for resolving past hurts, but there is a pathway toward restoration.  Forgiving and forgetting is a great thing to do - if you can - but not always the answer.  Remembering and choosing to forgive will always bring honor, maturity and a certain peace to your life.  Pain from the past will always find a way to creep into daily life. We have to find a way to deal with it. 

We should raise our wounded spirit up to the Father.  He will hear our cry.