Early this morning, I was having debilitating back pain while trying to get out of bed, and terrible thoughts came tumbling through my mind:
"I'm not going to be able to work! I won't be able to finish this project! What am I going to do?!?!"
And then, God showed me something NASTY. Technically, it was SOMEONE nasty. It was The Mouth of Sauron, from the final Lord of the Rings movie, The Return of the King. Here is the scene, from the extended edition:
In this scene, Aragon and company go to the Black Gate to demand Sauron leave these lands, and Sauron sends his own emissary in response, the vile Mouth of Sauron. The Mouth proceeds to taunt them by throwing them Frodo's mithril coat of mail, and telling them how very much Frodo had suffered under torture.
Except, it was at best a half-truth. It WAS Frodo's coat, but he was neither dead nor tortured. It was a LIE, told to cause them pain and consternation.
Pro Tip: THE ENEMY WILL LIE TO YOU!!!
In the movie, Aragon refused to continue to listen to the lies, and cut them off through "aggressive negotiations" (Star Wars joke). Then he and he and his friends got back to business.
And that needs to be our response when the Enemy starts lying to us. Recognize it as a lie, Rebuke the enemy (James 4:7-8), and go back to doing what God has called us to do.
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Just don't hurt yourself worse today! I heard a word some years ago that I live by now, "work slowly and patiently, knowing that right thoughts and right actions will invariably lead to right results." So often I rush out and find myself behind where I wanted to be simply because I didn't take time to think and pursue cautiously. Self care is a deliberate action. Don't wreck your back worse. Let the strong backs do the hard part and trust the training you've given your son.