It’s Not That Bad -- Yet

A friend of mine in our ARP group shared something -- and as he shared it the spirit told me to pay attention!

He said that too many times when he was tempted and should have prayed, he said to himself, “I don’t need to pray -- I can wait -- it’s not that bad! --  I’ll pray if it gets worse.” 

Then he discovered later that he should have taken the time to pray.  Because in an instant we can go from “It’s not that bad” to “It’s already too late!

So where does the thought “it’s not that bad” come from?  I think it comes from two sources. It comes from Satan who wants to delay our getting help until it’s too late.  But it also comes from our own pride:
  •  “I can handle this by myself!’ 
  •  “I don’t need help!”  
  •  “I’m strong!” 
  •  “I’ll wait and see if this goes away.”
“It’s not that bad” is what I would call “Magic Thinking.” It’s like putting our hand over our eyes. It’s not realistic and it’s not being honest.  

This magic thinking doesn’t just pertain to prayer.  It pertains to all three parts of PMS.
  •  Prayer:  It’s not that bad so I don’t need to pray. I’ll do that if it gets worse.
  •  Move:  It’s not that bad so I don’t need to change my environment. I’ll do that if it gets worse.
  •  Support:  It’s not that bad so I don’t need to reach out and get support. I’ll do that if it gets worse.
And, of course, it almost always gets worse. And by the time we realize it’s gotten worse, it’s too late. We have either already acted out or we are at the point of no return.

We need to recognize that any time we start to tell ourselves “It’s not that bad” ---- “it really is that bad!” And we need to do something about it right now: Pray and Move and get Support.

What would the harm be if we did any one of those things too soon?
  • It’s never too soon to pray.
  • It’s never too soon to move and change a negative environment.
  • It’s never too soon to reach out and get or give support.
So the next time you think “I can wait, it’s not that bad,”  THINK AGAIN!