THE TURN AROUND

Jesus talking to the woman at the well.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you messed up, and you immediately start criticizing yourself? You ask, "How could I do that?" "How could I say that?" "What have I done?" or "How could I get it so wrong?"

Well, I have. So many times, I have found myself in that exact place, asking myself those same questions. It is the only conversation a human can have where they do not answer themselves back.

People around you may come to console you. They may encourage you to move on, but it doesn't change anything. The self-criticism is often so loud that it shuts down your conscience. It slams the door of your ears to the voices of reason and counsel around you. It is a tough place to be.

We have all heavily criticized ourselves at some point. Do you know who else criticized herself heavily for her own failed actions? The Woman at the Well.

In her conversation with Jesus in John chapter 4, Jesus asked her to bring her husband to Him. The woman replied that she did not have a husband. Jesus agreed with her, but then He revealed the truth. He told her that she had already had five husbands. The man she was currently with was not her husband; she was living as a mistress. Thus, this woman had unsuccessfully attempted marriage six times, and every attempt ended in frustration.

Imagine the type of conversations she had in her own heart. Imagine the self-criticism and the unanswered questions she asked herself. In our modern society, because of her desperate attempts to be married and build a home, she might have been called a promiscuous woman or a prostitute.

Even back then, because of her marriage desire, she was viewed as someone with no value in society. Worse still, if it were today, she might have contemplated suicide due to the negative pressure from society and her own self-criticism. Trying to get married five times, only to settle as a mistress, reveals a deep truth. It exposes our desperate desire to achieve what we want and yet settle when we fall short or lack the strength to proceed.

When both the internal and external voices become louder, the pressure becomes so high that you end up forcing yourself into a settlement, just as she did. It is not a good situation to be in.

However, it is interesting that Jesus deliberately visited and talked to this woman. When the disciples saw Him talking to her, they were amazed. Yet, after their conversation, this woman acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah. She went back to the village and brought the whole town to Christ.

She confessed that Jesus was the Messiah—something the disciples, who were with Him every day, failed to fully recognize at that moment. She brought the whole village to Jesus when He initially only asked her to bring her husband, which she didn't have. She did what not many Christians would manage to do today. We are often so tuned to our failures and problems, living in obedience to both the internal and external loudest voices in our lives.

You may say, "Well, you don't know how bad I felt." Of course, I don't. But I guarantee you it isn't as bad as how that woman felt. I bet you have not even tried as hard as the Woman at the Well did to get out of your situation and achieve your dream. And yet, you are still down. You are still living in the memory of "what could have been" or "what if," instead of accepting the situation and moving on.

You can talk to the people around you about it. You can cry about it and feel sorry for yourself. You may even feel depressed at times. But the only thing you have to make sure of is that you talk to Jesus. Because of your situation, He is closer to you than you think He is. Just like the Woman at the Well, He is right in front of you. He is waiting to talk to you—not to condemn you, nor to judge you. As the Bible says, "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit" (Psalm 34:18).

You only need one encounter with Jesus to turn your life around. One conversation with Jesus to set you up again for a new start, a new beginning, and a new life. Most of the time, the self-critical voices are in direct contradiction to the promises or words of God upon your life.

• Sometimes the voices say, "You are nothing," but Jesus says, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine" (Isaiah 43:1).
• The voices sometimes say, "You are a failure," but Jesus says, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Romans 8:37).
• Sometimes the voices say, "You are down; you can’t do anything or move forward," but God says, "And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall only go up and not down" (Deuteronomy 28:13).
• The voices can amplify things in your life, making it seem like it is too much for you to handle—telling you to give up, even if it means losing your own life—but Jesus says, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). In the book of Peter, He says, "Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7).
• If the people around you say, "You are nothing and done; this is it for you, you are on your own," Jesus says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5). God is not done with you yet. As the Bible says, "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." — Philippians 1:6 (ESV).

Be encouraged in the Word of God. Do not dwell too much on the internal and external voices around you. Turn to Jesus for a turnaround. He is closer to you than you think He is during this time.

May the presence of Jesus Christ, through His Spirit, cause a turnaround in your life today in the name of Jesus Christ.