Why Do You Force Me to Look

Good Morning Beautiful,

There were numerous times during my season of waiting when I questioned God and constantly asked, “Why me?” I didn’t understand why relationships didn’t come naturally or why relationships kept ending, and nothing seemed to be working. Marriage was a strong desire that I had, but I found myself labeling my position as unfair, and I have to admit I was judgmental towards others because I could not understand why things were so hard.

The reality I did not want to come to terms with was that the challenges I was experiencing were because God was showing me to me the whole time. I did not want to see the person staring back in the mirror. However, I had to accept that I needed to learn to notice the problem by seeing it and becoming more aware that it was there. I also had to learn to watch and observe what was happening.

Intentionality is essential; sometimes, we must force ourselves to look even when we don’t want to. There are pros to ignoring something until it goes away; maybe the problem will resolve itself, and perhaps it won’t. However, the con with this approach is that there isn’t any growth. Paying attention can be uncomfortable, but there are rewards to facing the things that hurt.

Sincerely

Your Friend <3

Why do you force me to look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Oppression and violence are right in front of me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates.

Habakkuk 1:3 CSB

Habakkuk was a prophet who grew up during a time of injustice and idolatry, and he, too, grappled with the question of “Why does God cause certain things to happen?” but also, “When will he right the wrongs?” Habakkuk did not want to see the destructive things around him, yet that is exactly where God had him.

There are so many ways to find Habakkuk relatable, but the real lesson taught through him is that God’s silence was the answer he needed all along. Habakkuk learned to become sensitized to sin through God’s silence, and he was broken in the spirit.¹ God used the new state of his heart to pour His spirit into him, and from there, Habakkuk became someone who didn’t question God but had compassion for God’s people.²

I do not doubt that if God wanted to, He could snap his fingers, and every evil thing would instantly disappear. However, I have learned over the years that instant gratification doesn’t produce growth. Wishing that things would disappear is the passive approach of saying, ” I don’t want to deal with challenging things.” Unfortunately, we live in a fallen world, so it is impossible to truly escape challenging times because they happen within or around you.

In this season of waiting, I am sure God is allowing you to see things that maybe you wish could remain hidden. Perhaps you are experiencing old wounds breaking, or every time you think you are getting ahead, you realize that the same issues keep appearing, knocking you back down. So, I must ask you, is this cycle possible because God is attempting to get you to see the toxic behavioral patterns? We can not continue on this journey and believe we can ignore the issues until they go away; instead, we must become comfortable acknowledging the problem and confronting it head-on.

Just like Habakkuk, God wants you to have compassion towards His people, but you must understand that “His people” include YOU! You are God’s child, and the compassion he wants you to experience is learning to have it within yourself so you can heal properly. God is not asking you to reveal your issues to the world but encouraging you to acknowledge them within yourself. I encourage you today to bring those needs to him so He can help you address the issues and give you a new heart (read Ezekiel 36:26-28, NLT) as you enter the next phase of your journey.

Daily Challenge

How can you relate to Habakkuk’s plea? What are the things God is causing you to see in your life that, for others, would be reasons to doubt, but for you, it has been a reason to grow in your faith?

1. Blue Letter Bible, ” Don Smith: Habakkuk 1:1-4,” accessed October 19, 2023, https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/smith_don/AFaithtoClingTo/AFaithtoClingTo/Smith-Don-Habakkuk-01.cfm?a=904003 ↩︎
2. Blue Letter Bible, ” Don Smith: Habakkuk 1:1-4,” accessed October 19, 2023, https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/smith_don/AFaithtoClingTo/AFaithtoClingTo/Smith-Don-Habakkuk-01.cfm?a=904003 ↩︎