It's Not Supposed to Be This Way: Finding Unexpected Strength When Disappointments Leave You Shattered

by Lysa TerKeurst

As I said, the enemy can’t read our minds. However, he can study our patterns and hear our expressed disappointments. He knows our disappointments create pain and our brains demand something to ease every ache. This is a perfect doorway through which Satan can enter in with his evil enticements and temptations. I wish every temptation had a warning label on it, so we’d know what we were getting ourselves into. Your warning label might look like this if you’re tempted to overspend: “You will begin to look at other people’s lives and see all the shiny, new things they have. It will start off as a small seed of jealousy that will grow until you rationalize that you deserve those things too. You will make an extra purchase online and bend the monthly budget just a smidge. But it won’t stop there. Sin and secrecy have ravenous appetites. Before you know it, you’ll be hiding credit card bills from your husband, being dishonest in your relationships, and facing a growing amount of debt. Your seemingly small decisions today will not only affect you, but they’ll ultimately lead to the division and possibly destruction of your family and the peace you took for granted.” Or maybe you’re tempted to gossip, and your warning label would say this: “You will convince yourself it’s okay to share one juicy detail about someone with a friend, as long as you follow it up with, ‘But don’t tell anyone.’ Each time you divulge a secret that isn’t yours to tell, you’ll feel a little more accepted ...