(Wall)y World!

Today is the 20th anniversary of The Berlin Wall coming down. I remember watching that on tv and just the awe that people including myself had, knowing we are witnessing a piece of world history that will change lives forever. Now it is just a memory to the old and a history story to the young. But lives are changed now.

The same thing is happening in Jerusalem there is wall now separating people and keeping families apart. The same city that Christ himself walked into and gave his life freely to save mankind from ourselves. Now is a political city that segregates on nationality and religion. I read an article about the Jewish and Muslims walking the streets of old Jerusalem honoring and retracing the steps of Christ. That they are seeking him and they are being persecuted for it. I don't know a lot behind the reasons this course of action was taken with this wall, but yes people need passports from the other side of the west bank to enter the city.

These are walls you can see but what about the ones you can't? Lets face facts we are Addicts.

We have engineered some of the strongest walls in history. We put up walls to keep out God, people and emotions. We live under the assumption that if these walls are compromised we must protect them at all cost. And we do. These walls are deceptively nurturing, safe, and familiar. My walls protected me from abuse and the pain that went along with it. They went up when presented with controversy or honesty. Any emotions that were felt that weren't pleasant, I started to wall them up and shut them off. This is how we live, protection of ourselves and our addictions. My walls at times, if you put them on a map, would look like a city. I had so many things to protect against, so many feelings to keep out, and so many people to shut out that I constructed a virtual fortress. So I thought. God was stronger than any wall I ever put up. Jesus walked up to some of my walls and blew them down with his words. I eventually got to the point where I got tired of him blowing down my walls and just asked him inside. I'm so glad I did that because my city is much prettier without all those walls in the way.

I am not saying that I have no walls left; some are still standing and sometimes I run to get bricks to start building again. But thankfully Jesus says to me, "alright you can build it, I will let you but I am gonna talk to you while you do it" and that stops me from wanting to build that wall again. Other days he walks with me to the ones that are still standing and helps take a few bricks down.

What walls do you have up? So what areas of your life do you have walled up? What goes on behind those walls? Do you feel good about what happens within them? I think the answer to that last question is you probably don't feel good about it. I never did. The battle to preserve and protect got more draining and stressful. Jesus is standing outside to be let in. He is not going to poll vault himself in there. But take it from a guy who has been building walls for years, it is much more peaceful to let Him in and to let others in. It is impossible for a city of 1 to survive and flourish. Let those who love you in. You might be surprised. That is your decision, of course, but it has made a significant difference in my life to allow visitors inside the walls. It has made a significant difference to let Jesus inside my walls and allow him to blow them down or help me dismantle them.

I won't lie, it is scary and it is hard. But it is very rewarding. Like I said, I am not perfect, far from it, but I am trying. My walls did me more harm than good and the cost I and others in my life paid was great. Those walls do NOT come without a substantial price. Ask God for his help to take them down. Try it- you might like it. Isn't that one of our credos as addicts anyway? Try something different and see what happens. Cities of 1 die quick and their memories fade fast.