Shhhhhh is a word - well wait, is"shhhhhh" a word or just a sound? What ever it is, it is something heard often around here once the toddler is settled in bed. God forbid she wake up because then the party will begin all over again. She brings the term "turnt" to life in a way that makes my college days seem like a joke. So when the husband comes home and she is sleep the FIRST thing he will hear, before hi or anything else, is shhhhhh!
Well tonight is a shhhhhh night... all the kiddos in bed- toddler included- and I get to take some time to flush out the shhhhhes in my head-- yes I made up the word. Let me first provide some context to what the shhhhhhes in my heard are.
Shhhhhhes- (pronounced shushes) are those silent truths that need to be exposed so true healing can occur, but instead they are seemingly forced to remain unspoken thus aiding in shame, fear, regret, anxiety, disappointment, etc.
Yep... that's a pretty good definition of shhhhhes. I am sure many can relate to these type of things in life. I know I can. Then we find ourselves avoiding, hiding, and often suffering because of it. I have done it with my struggle with depression. Instead of facing it, I avoided it for fear of being viewed as "crazy", "mental", or even cast out & deemed evil.
So now that my kiddos are in bed I need to work on these things! What is causing me (and many others) to shhhh so much in my life?
I am about to drop a big word... get ready for it!
You ready?
Here it is?
Ok!
Alright!
The word is 9 letters... begins with the letter "R"
REJECTION
This word is one of those words that can really blow your world a part. Have you shhhhhhhhshing (yes another made up word) er'thing! You see, when we experience rejection in our life our natural response is to protect ourself. So some of us (really many of us) go into "stay away, I don't like how this feels" mode and we in turn shhhhh the thing instead of get to the root of the shhhhh in our life because we cannot face it.
Here's the thing - At what point do we recognize that this is in fact unhealthy behavior? When do we stop making noises (aka shhhhhhshing) and go beyond it. When do we face it? We do we get real with it. At what point do we walk in the God given authority we have and command things to cease? At what point do we stop the shhhhhhes and get down to business with our number one weapon of defense - PRAYER! When do we call for help? When do we recognize "Hey, you know what God, I cannot do this alone. I need some backup?"
REJECTION can seem impossible to overcome because it is so much more comfortable to avoid it. But if we look closer we will see that its multifaceted nature is quite interesting. I look at it like this (try to picture this story in your head):
Hey Rejection! I would like you to meet my friend Trust.
*rejection turns back to trust*
Ok, well I see you're not interested in getting to know Trust.
Well how about I introduce you to Forgiveness... he is pretty cool.
*Rejection runs and hides*
Oooook. You sure Rejection? I know Forgiveness is a big guy, but he is really cool and helpful
*Rejection remains hiding*
What about my homie Love. Now Love can make it easier to meet Trust and Forgiveness
*Rejection peeks out from hiding, but is crying and afraid to approach Love*
I can go on and on with illustrations, but you get the big picture???
Rejection limits us in so many ways! It's debilitating! It makes it pretty impossible to trust, love or even forgive when rejection is the lens we look through in life. It promotes shame. Rejection will limit the need to REVEAL the shhhhhhes, the need to DEAL with the shhhhhhes, and the need to EXPOSE the shhhhhhes that are keeping us bound! Rejection tricks us into believing we are not wanted or loved.
So now what? What do I do with this rejection? It all starts with recognizing the root cause of it? Ask yourself, "Why do I feel this way?"
You may have to do some digging. It could be rooted in your childhood. It could be a past trauma. It could be guilt, shame, regret... the important thing is to seek the cause of it.
I STRONGLY recommend prayer and fasting AND therapy! PLEASE NOTE: There is NOTHING wrong with seeking professional help when you are struggling in ANY area. Your mental health is JUST AS important (I personally think it is more important) than anything else you see a doctor for.
Whatever you do, do not ignore it! Rejection is a spiritual stronghold that has the ability to destroy lives when not dealt with. Do not be a conduit for ignorance! When we choose to avoid or ignore the truth we give Satan power in our life. How you may ask? John Eckhart said it best in his devotional for the book Destroying the Spirit of Rejection, "Satan can only rule where there is darkness or ignorance. So light and revelation expose and weaken his power. You are able to break His power over your life when you KNOW where he is and how he operates." We must do the work to know! No excuses!
So with that said, will you choose to stop the shhhhhhes? Will you choose to expose the role that rejection has played in your life? Will you tear down the stronghold of rejection? God has given you the authority over any plan of the enemy (Luke 10:19). Do not be silenced! Walk in that authority!
When my rambunctious toddler awakes despite all my shhhhhshing, I know there is a reason! I don't shhhhh her back to bed. I assess the reason she is awake. It could be a bad dream. She could just want her mommy or daddy. She could be restless. Whatever the reason she is awake she knows to come or call out to me or her father and we will take care of it. Maybe the very thing you are trying to convince to remain silent needs to be awakened? Are you going to try to shhhhh it back to sleep? Or will you call out and go to God? Do not reject it by shhhhhshing it.... it's time to deal with it.
love, jalima