Focus: Stop Hurting Yourself

Text: Mk.5:5

"And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and CUTTING HIMSELF with stones."

So much of human suffering is self-inflicted. The mad man of Gadara was found always cutting himself with sharp stones and making himself bleed. In many ways man is hurting himself. Everywhere man is suffering psychologically, emotionally, mentally, physically, economically, and otherwise, and he is the cause of his own problems.

Remember Jonah? In Jonah 1:4, we read that the Lord "sent out a GREAT WIND into the sea, and there was a MIGHTY TEMPEST in the sea…" In verse 17, we also read that the Lord "had prepared a GREAT FISH to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights." Who was responsible for all of Jonah's troubles? The answer is found in verse 2 and 10: "But Jonah rose up to flee…from the presence of the LORD… For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them." So Jonah's trouble was self-inflicted, and others also suffered because of him.

It is a terrible thing for the presence of God to be missing in one's life. King Saul knew the pain of it, for he said, "I am SORE DISTRESSED; for the Philistines make war against me, and GOD IS DEPARTED FROM ME, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do" (1Sam.28:15). Saul started acting crazy because of the absence of God in his life. He was not thinking straight anymore. The Scripture says, "But the Spirit of the LORD DEPARTED from Saul, and an EVIL SPIRIT from God TROUBLETH him" (1Sam.16:14). Even people around him noticed it. It was very obvious. His servants said to him, "Behold now, an evil spirit from the LORD troubleth thee."

We know that nature abhors vacuum. The absence of God would mean the presence of the devil. A life devoid of God's presence is horrible. It leads to madness, and it is in our madness that we end up hurting ourselves.

Job has something to say about self-inflicted problems. He says, "For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me" (Jb.3:25). Job's fears created problems for him. In another place, he says, "I am a burden to myself."

Let us also hear from Isaiah the prophet. He wrote, "Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear" (Isa.59:1-2). We are the ones at fault, not God. In no way is God to blame for our woes and troubles. Paul says, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Gal.6:7). We live in the world where the law of cause and effect applies. Actions have their corresponding consequences. People become casualties tomorrow of things they take casual today.

Let us beware of bad thoughts, bad choices or decisions, bad actions, bad attitudes, bad habits, and bad diets. Hurting one's self is madness. Taking to drugs and other forms of destructive addiction is madness. Eating the wrong kind of foods is madness. Abuse of drugs is madness.

A man suffered stroke, but after the physical signs of the stroke disappeared by a doctor's prescription, he stupidly stopped taking the prescribed drugs. Now the stroke is back and the visible signs have returned. His mouth has shifted to one side. Now he is back to taking the medicine as prescribed by his doctor. Samuel said to Saul, "Thou hast done foolishly" (1Sam.13:13). Saul said to David, "Behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly" (1Sam.26:21). David said, "I have done very foolishly" (2Sam.24:10).

Stop hurting yourself and others. Stop being responsible for your pain. Stop ruining your life by the things you do. Decide and determine to conquer your self-inflicted troubles by keeping away from harm's way and from harmful habits and diets.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter