Enter Your Promised Land

By EZRICA BENNETT

hen the children of Israel approached the land promised to them by God, they sent spies to gather intelligence. In the Promised Land, they discovered beauty unimaginable and resources beyond comprehension, and the threat of giants. The fear that filled their hearts grew larger than the giants themselves. Thus, Israel refused to enter the land that was already theirs. Instead, we know they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years because of their unbelief.

We’ve heard the story and mourned this wasteful outcome. But a deeper look into the response of the Israelites at the edge of the Promised Land highlights the human experience of trauma or repeated disappointment.

As an enslaved people, Israel’s very lives were not their own, but governed by the power of Egypt. Before there were giants, they encountered human beings who still lorded over every movement and moment of their lives. While they prayed and hoped for deliverance—generation after generation—they lived and died with that request unanswered. So, in some ways we understand that when they finally received the answer to their prayers, their minds and hearts weren’t ready to receive them.

It’s easy to look at the children of Israel with contempt. However, if you have prayed for the same thing for an extended time, you know how difficult it is to trust God after repeatedly being disappointed.

Many of us stand at the edge of our promised land, but fear keeps us from entering. Many of us trap ourselves in cycles of negative thinking and self-sabotaging behavior. We hear or see God’s promises, but fail to believe.

God’s solution to the brokenness that led to the Israelites’ unbelief was 40 years of wandering. He used those years to help rewrite their narrative and prepare them for their blessing. God desires to do the same for you too.

There are lessons God wants to teach you in your wilderness that will prepare you for your promised land.

Understand the root of your behavior

To uproot the patterns of negative thinking that keep you spiritually immobilized, you must first understand the root of your behavior. Fiorella Chujutalli, MFT, states that whether a person recognizes it or not, shame is one of the most significant contributors to the pain and disappointments they experience. Shame, rooted in a negative self-perception and self-evaluation, consistently keeps us repeating self-sabotaging behavior. Breaking from these patterns requires taking time to explore and identify the origins of shame. Realizing which conversations, interactions, or life events damaged you is the first progressive step toward healing.

Identify the lies you are telling yourself

Once you have identified the origin of your shame, you must identify the lies you tell yourself based on that story. There is undeniable power in the story we tell ourselves about ourselves. If we build our identity on feelings of worthlessness, we will never be able to walk into the places and spaces God designs for us.

Get connected with yourself

A practical way to recognize when we are stuck in cycles is to pay attention to our bodies. Our bodies are our biggest tools. God designed you so perfectly that your body will let you know when you are not living the life He intended for you to live. It may be in the form of tension, heaviness, or physical pain. People who have gone through traumatic experiences often disconnect from their bodies—through substance use and abuse, or other less than healthy options. This, of course, only numbs the pain and delays healing. If we intentionally pay attention to our bodies, we’ll notice when something is not working for us.

Feel your feelings

Learning to create space to feel your feelings is a valuable skill. Unfortunately, we learned that some feelings are good while others are bad. This belief instilled a fear in us to experience all of our emotions, even believing that they dishonor God. But there is no way to walk into healing without creating safe spaces to feel what you feel. And once you’ve allowed yourself to feel, you then give yourself room to let it go and grow forward.

Put words to your emotions

A great way to explore the emotions that you’re feeling is to journal. Writing down your experiences and thoughts through journal entries, letters, essays, or poetry can be cathartic. There is also a great benefit to putting words to your emotions, as it helps you identify and process them. In the book, “Winning The War In Your Mind” by Craig Groeschel, he states, “You cannot defeat what you cannot define.” Words can help you understand what’s wrong, help you trace different patterns of thought and belief, and also help you create steps for moving forward.

Choose grace

The hardest part of healing is often forgiveness. F. Chujutalli says, “We will never move away from a cycle of disappointment or pain if we don’t choose to let go.” This process looks different for everyone. Sometimes we think we are supposed to forgive someone who hurt us when we actually need to forgive ourselves first. Forgiveness can be scary for someone tied to pain and disappointment for most of their lives, but it’s the only thing that can free you from your past. Forgiveness removes shame. And only when shame is gone can we truly accept God’s healing and redemption from our pain. Choosing to give grace to the people in situations that hurt you, and grace to yourself, is imperative in the journey of healing.

Trust God

Ultimately, your trust in God will significantly affect your healing. God is not impervious to the obstacles that mar our path. He is not unaware of the anxiety and consternation we feel about our future, nor blind to the pain and brokenness of our past. But God is a redeemer. As He met the children of Israel at the edge of the Promised Land, He wants to meet us in the place of our greatest disappointment and despair. He wants to meet us there and rewrite the story, but only if we entrust that part of our lives to Him.

We will never know what the children of Israel felt as they stood on the edge of the Promised Land. Still, we can empathize with the experience of disappointments leading us to block our blessings. As you look forward to the next seasons of your life, try looking through the lens of healing and hope. Trust that, despite the failures and disappointments you’ve experienced in the past, God can still bless you beyond your wildest imagination! Don’t let the disappointments behind you prevent you from entering the Promised Land before you.

Ezrica Bennett writes from Loma Linda, California where she is an elder and a member of the Night Church by Praxis Church podcast team.