How Did I Get Lost in the First Place?

Me: "Why do I need salvation?"

God: "Because you are lost."

Me: "How did that happen?"

God: "You were born."

Me: "Why?"

God: "Why were you born?"

Me: "No. Why am I lost just because I was born?"

God: "All people born of Adam are lost. The trespass of one man brought condemnation for all. That was My judgment following his one trespass."

Me: "But, it wasn't my fault. Was it?"

God: "No. Neither Adam's sin nor My judgment are your fault."

Me: "I don't understand. Why condemn me for something I didn't do?"

God: "What My righteousness demands, My justice executes. My righteousness demands perfection. I know what is in man."

Me: "Surely, I am lost for good! What hope do have I of ever obtaining the righteousness You demand?"

God: "My righteousness also demands a perfect sacrifice for sin. My Son, Jesus Christ, has perfectly executed My plan for salvation. My righteousness is yours through Christ just for the asking. My Son has purchased righteousness for you in full, and for anyone who would believe in Him. He is the propitiation, the utter satisfaction of payment, for your sins and for the sins of the whole world. His righteousness is pure, and I will credit His righteousness to your behalf, not even counting your sins against you."

Me: "It's free? I don't have to do the impossible and try to earn it?"

God: " Yes, it's free. No, you don't have to do the miraculous. That's been done for you. For it is by My grace you are saved, not your works. In fact, if you even try to earn your righteous wages, you will nullify My gift that is by grace. It's one or the other. Your choice, believe or resist My terms."

Me: "Who would be crazy enough not to accept such an offer?!"

God: "You'd be surprised how many people reject My Son. The salvation I offer is so complete, so wonderful, and so simple. Yet, many would not dare relinquish trust in themselves to do good. Somehow, they think, 'I must do the things God has commanded so that I may please Him.' Yet, I am most pleased when a humble person allows My Spirit to work in them. They resist the Holy Spirit when they insist on doing things their own way. For this, they will remain condemned. It's their choice. It's their arrogance."

Me: "Now my heart knows why I was lost, and knows why I am found. For how else could You have made an offer based on grace alone? How could I've let myself be saved by You otherwise? See it is a perfect plan, perfectly executed. The righteousness I seek, therefore, is Yours, in Christ, not my own. I believe You, Father. I believe in Christ, Your Son. Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

God: "I'm delighted you see now. Indeed, my child, you are saved by My grace because you believed in My Son as your Lord and Savior. Now, may the eyes of your heart be enlightened so you may grow in grace and in knowledge of the truth. Be sanctified in the truth; My word is truth. Come now, and discover the unsearchable riches that are yours in Christ, even the fullness of Him who is the head of the church, which is His body. Amen!"

And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 

(Romans 5:16)

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast." 

(Ephesians 2:8-9)

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 

(2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

Voice Dialog

I never heard of Voice Dialog until a few weeks ago. I've heard of dissociation and multiple personalities, each with their own voice, but those are disorders usually resulting from extreme emotional and/or physical trauma. (An amazing true story along these lines is "When Rabbit Howls" by Truddi Chase.)

Voice Dialog, as it was explained to me, is a therapeutic technique that recognizes distinct parts in all of us and gives a voice to each of those parts. A distinction in disorders is the accompanying memory loss that occurs between personalities. We have these parts normally, and we remember them.

For example, I have a confident side of me that is out in front most of the time. But certain situations cause a more insecure part of me to come out, such as being in the midst of large crowds of unknown people. Instead of trying to 'fix' the insecure part, or worse, ignore it, I give it a voice. That is, I can accept it and let it speak. The dialog may start something like this:

"So, how did you feel today when you were waiting for your friends at the stadium?"

"I felt 'antsy'. I kept wondering what I should do. Should I sit, stand, buy something, walk in circles, pretend like I see someone I know in the distance? I was afraid of being perceived as a loner. I almost wanted to go back to my car, wait a few minutes, then come back in again, hoping they would be waiting for me. My mind was also racing with ideas of possible causes for their tardiness. That was ridiculous because they were hardly 'tardy', maybe 5 or 10 minutes."

That is only a start, but I hope you get the idea. Ultimately, I may want to learn to acknowledge this part of me, even embrace and love it, in order to help me to be and feel whole in that situation. Please share.

Have you ever engaged in any kind of Voice Dialog even if you called it something else or never gave it a name? What comes to mind when you hear the word 'therapy'? In your opinion, when and what kind of therapy is applicable for whom, if at all? What should be the goal of therapy?

I look forward to your comments regarding any of these questions or your own experiences.