Tear it down, Build it Up

See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.--ESV.bible Jeremiah 1.9-10

Initially, this verse was completely baffling to me.  Now only the last part is somewhat troubling me.

On Memorial Day weekend of 2010, I lived the first part of this verse.  I plucked up and broke down, destroyed and overthrew.  I pulled up my roots of 31 years and moved 550 miles, on faith, to the great plains.  I had to pull apart my home piece by piece making decisions about what to keep and what to discard.  What to give to charity, and what to cherish.  How to handle separation from my family and friends became an issue.  Leaving my 17 year old son behind to complete his senior year of high school was decided.  Insisting my 15 year old daughter come with me was determined.

This literal tearing down of my life was necessary.  It was time for me to build and plant a new life with my new husband.

This is a concrete example of this verse.  It is a tangible application of the verse to my life.  We prayed about the wisdom of this move from September 2009 until we finally rented the truck in May of 2010.  We still pray daily about the decision we have made.  We have a new home in Kansas, and our family is settling into our new lives.  We have been building up our new life both literally and figuratively.  Things are looking very positive on most fronts.

But what about the intangible applications of this verse?  My spiritual, physical and mental temple is in shambles, and needs to be cleared away before the new temple can be built up, and new seeds planted.

What tasks do I need to perform to fulfill the plucking/pulling up and breaking down, destroying and overthrowing part of this verse?

Today, for me, the focus needs to be on negative self-talk.  This is the most obvious of the blights to my temple.  Beyond this, I am not sure.  Tomorrow I will look at my self-talk and if necessary dig away the debris again.  I will keep repeating this until I hear the words, "you are a child of God", before I hear, "you aren't good enough".

What parts of your mental, physical and spiritual temple are in shambles?  What is the first step to clear away the debris so you can rebuild and replant seeds of faith and joy?

Positive Affirmation:
I am a child of God.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."  Jeremiah 1.5
 
The RACE is about living my life in the moment, aware of my body, my mind and my spirit. (Even when it isn't comfortable).
 
God Bless!