The Thing Beneath the Thing: What's Hidden Inside (and What God Helps Us Do About It)
Helps readers identify and heal from past wounds that have kept them from accessing their full potential so they can begin to experience the life of freedom that Jesus has promised every believer.
Every driver knows the importance of avoiding potholes when navigating a route. Besides the uncomfortable bump, they can create permanent damage to your vehicle. And left untended, they can evolve into sinkholes that endanger entire roadway systems.
The same is true of our lives. We all have potholes that have been formed by pain, trauma, or the choices that we’ve made. What do we do? Usually we find a quick fix—filling the hole with activities and even addictions disguised as culturally acceptable life choices. But before long, the hole is back, waiting to catch us off guard, which in the end creates even more permanent damage.
In The Thing Beneath the Thing, former Willow Creek Community Church lead teaching pastor Steve Carter asks the simple question, “How is life working for you?” He knows that potholes exist and that the longer we live disconnected from answering this question, the more we will fill those holes with harmful choices. The solution? Allow God to fill them with His grace and love so that we can discover the beauty of grace, peace, and wholeness He has for us.
The process lies in discovering our
• triggers: the setup that sets us off,
• hideouts: where we go to escape the pain of our story,
• insecurities: the false stories we create about ourselves,
• narratives: the false stories we create about others, and
• grace: the place where we discover how to become whole, holy, and spiritually healthy.
Journey with a seasoned fellow traveler who has learned how to ask key questions that help unlock the places where we’ve buried things. Then dig deep, invite healing, and learn new ways to operate so that we may begin to experience the life of freedom Jesus has promised us.
