Sometimes life feels like an endless nightmare. What has taken over our internal and external world won’t go away. Last week I woke up from power nap and went downstairs to find out what was making all of the noise. I turned to my right and a big black squirrel with a bushy tail was sitting on my wife’s picnic basket. It looked at me, wiggled its bushy tail as if he was saying, “Get out of here, buddy, this is my new home.” GAME ON!
I didn’t move out, and I didn’t kill Bushy. I enlisted the help of my dear friend Gary who came with a bb gun, traps, and whole range of tricks to conquer Bushy. I spent five days tremendously failing my quest. During the days of Bushy dominance, we got consumed with the presence of a predator. Bushy somehow had gotten into our basement, ate everything in sight from insulation to oatmeal, pooped everywhere, knocked everything over, and made its way to the attic in hopes of settling in for the winter.
After being completely bush-whacked by a hard-to-get black squirrel, our week-long battle resulted in our entire world being organized by a critter who wouldn’t leave. And for those of you who are laughing and think I’m just ADHD-distracted by a new squirrel—cut it out! Praise God when God shows up in the form of friends who have neighbors with bigger traps. Gary and Doug to the rescue! You know when you have a real, Jesus-with-traps-on, friend when your friend doesn’t go away when your problems get worse and won’t go away. The larger-than-life trap that just conquered their neighborhood skunk got Bushy in no time! Bushy was so mad. He hated losing! And I knew I had a good friend when Gary came and deported Bushy into the unknown.
Why do pastors and friends tell stories? It’s because we were made in the image of the Master Storyteller. As I reflect back on “Bushy”—the name my son Zack gave our furry NON-friend—I realized that God was writing a trauma-informed story.
We all have had our share of “Bushies” in our lives. Bushy comes in many forms. Bullies at school who find pleasure in harassing us and won’t leave us alone! Bushies in our workplace who control and manipulate and abuse power and make everything feel unsafe when they’re around. Bushies in our homes and family systems who fake good and fake love but abuse the crap out of us when they get us alone. Bushies in our churches who abuse power and control and destroy the church, pastors, and people from the inside out. Bushies in our minds and lives that become hidden sins or addictions that consume and haunt and defeat us for years. This was not my first Bushy, and new Bushies can trigger memories and flashbacks of all of our former Bushies that wouldn’t go away no matter how much we tried and prayed.
God used “Bushy Tales” to remind me not to get organized around people and problems who won’t go away. Bushies are everywhere. I know, there are ten more Bushies dying to get into my home! They daily chase each other up and down my parents’ oak tree next door and feast at their birdfeeder. Bushies only grow and multiply when you feed them. In your mind, with your body, with your money, with your food, with your time. If you starve a Bushy, he or she will die. If you don’t, it can wreck you! Never feed or play with or marry or go to bed with or consume or work for Bushy! Run as fast or far away from Bushy before it takes over your internal and external reality.
It takes truly caring family members and friends to help you get rid of Bushy and seal off all of the access points to your mind, heart, body, home, and life. If you think you can have peace of mind and a happy life while you’re still entertaining Bushies each day—you’re wrong, and you’re only kidding yourself! It might take time, a lot of work, help, courage, and prayer, but your life can also be Bushy- free!
If you’re still entertaining a Bushy, I have much empathy and some good news. God sent my best friend Jesus to set Bushies free. I once was so consumed by Bushies that they got the best of me. I am a living testimony that God delivers and sets captives free. God is the Lord of all, and He has complete power and control. The good news is that God is for us, and He loves us with an unending love. He doesn’t lack resources when Bushies are running rampant in our heads or in our homes. If you’re tempted to give up or give in—fight with all your might! Life is too short to give Bushies power over us.
Sometimes we have to leave the comforts of our homes, jobs, churches, or groups to become Bushy-free. People may judge, criticize, manipulate, persecute, and reject us as we pursue freedom. You’re worth it! Jesus came to give us freedom. Spiritual freedom. Mental freedom. Emotional freedom. Physical freedom. Relational freedom. God has not given you a spirit of fear. Instead, God has wired you with His power, love, and sound thinking. Cling to God and His Word, and surround yourself with a few warriors who will pray you through and help you to develop a strategic plan to get rid of your Bushies. You won’t have peace and rest until they’re gone and until all of your access points are sealed off. Boundaries with Bushies. Bushy Tales. Life after Bushy. Sounds like the titles to my next books. Thanks for reading and journeying together with me. We get better and stronger as we journey with one another into the freedom that Christ gave us through His death and resurrection. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in you and will transform your life! You don’t lack power to do what you need to do to become free. Jesus paid the price with His shed blood for your freedom. Pursue freedom in and through Jesus Christ!