That Moment I Wanted to Cry Uncle...

As the blog post title indicates, I admit there was a time I wanted to cry uncle.  The definition of "cry uncle" is to surrender or admit defeat.   Instead of crying out to Jesus, to the One who bids me to cast my burdens upon Him, I was bearing the weight and believing Satan's lies...

What does blue green algae have to do with crying uncle?

As I'm pretty sure I've shared on my blog in the past, my husband and I enjoy fresh water, catch and release fishing.  We've probably been at it in earnest for about seven years.   Early into our new found hobby, we bought a Scanoe which is basically a canoe/row boat, as it is a bit wider and less tipsy than a canoe.  Which is a good thing for these two middle-aged anglers.   lol.  And I am proud to say we have never flipped the boat.  Haha.

When we first started fishing years ago, we had a small local pond that we would fish at most weeknights after dinner and also on weekends.  The smallness of the pond was convenient since we were using oars to scanoe around.  We could always count on catching at least three good sized large mouth bass every trip, but as the years went by, the weeds began to overtake the pond, making it very frustrating to cast without pulling up large amounts of "sea lettuce".

We then moved up in the Scanoe world and got a trolling motor which opened up more opportunities for to fish in larger bodies of water.   One such pond is quite big - so much so, that white caps can form on a windy day making it quite intimidating to be out on the open water.  The fishing typically is quite good here, but to my husband's chagrin, very rocky.  As a result, he can be heard saying on any given fishing trip, "lost another lure to Stafford"...   I actually prefer the rocks because I don't like touching slimy seaweed. lol

Over the years, our fishing season seems to get cut shorter and shorter, either because it's too windy to be out on the water or because the ponds and lakes are closed to fishing due to blue green algae blooms.  I already don't like slimy seaweed, but a blue green algae bloom is just creepy looking.  What do YOU think??

And not only is blue green algae, which is scientifically known as a cyanobacteria, creepy looking, it's downright dangerous...

"Cyanobacteria occur naturally in lakes, typically at low concentrations that are not harmful and not visible. But when levels of key nutrients -- particularly phosphorus -- in a water body soar and combine with hot temperatures and stagnant water, the organisms thrive. Under these conditions, they outpace growth of other types of algae and streak or coat the water with bright, sometimes iridescent, blooms of green or blue-green cells."  Jessica Marshall, The Atlantic

Humans can be adversely effected by exposure, but usually not too serious, although some cases have been reported when the person had significant contact with the bacteria.

Animals suffer the most from exposure to blue green algae since they are more likely to actually ingest the lake or pond water.  Most animals will die as a result because of a neurotoxin that is released through the algae.

So my healthy fear of blue green algae is indeed justified.

Our Christian walk can sometimes suffer from a blue green algae bloom...

When the heat of trials assail or we feel as though we are stagnating in our circumstances, we can become bogged down, unrecognizable to friends, family and even ourselves.  We want to cry uncle...

Or when we find ourselves, like John Bunyan's Pilgrim in the "Slough of  Despond",  not living in the freedom of our redemption in Christ Jesus, but instead believing Satan's lies that we are not "good enough", becoming consumed with the guilt of past sin.  We want to cry uncle...

One of the components that must be present in pond or lake water in order for the high summer temperatures and stagnation to cause the blue green algae bloom, is run off of manure into the water which contains high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen.

When we allow our trials or circumstances to spread manure (Satan's lies) into our thoughts and mind-set, the blue green algae of self will rear it's ugly head.  All of our energy will be focused on the issues we are plagued with rather than the One whose loving hands have ordained everything that touches us.

Crying Uncle is Music to Satan's Ears

I want you to know that I am preaching to myself here.  For even as I type this blog post, I am suffering with three separate health issues, all equally disconcerting and frustrating.  It seems that since August, I have been revisited with health issues that haven't been a problem for decades, including a cavity!

As a result, I have allowed the manure of self-pity, resentment and at times anger to turn the heat of my trials into blue green algae.  If I'm going to be brutally honest, the thought has popped into my head to back off from ministry to find relief from what I believe has been full-on spiritual warfare.   And isn't that the goal of Satan.  He wants us to cry "UNCLE!"  God, in His mercy, caused me to recognize this immediately, and reminded me that HIS GRACE IS SUFFICIENT FOR ME.

I am still struggling under the weight of these health issues, but the Lord continues to minister to me as He did with this excerpt from last night's reading in Streams in the Desert...

Don't Cry Uncle, Cry Out To Jesus

"Let us remember that if self-pity is allowed to set in, that is the end of us—until it is cast utterly from us. Joseph just turned over everything in joyous trust to God, and so the keeper of the prison turned over everything to Joseph. Lord Jesus, when the prison doors close in on me, keep me trusting, and keep my joy full and abounding. Prosper Thy work through me in prison: even there, make me free indeed.
—Selected

A little bird I am,

Shut from the fields of air,

And in my cage I sit and sing

To Him who placed me there;

Well pleased a prisoner to be,

Because, my God, it pleaseth Thee.

My cage confines me round,

Abroad I cannot fly,

But though my wing is closely bound,

My soul is at liberty;

For prison walls cannot control

The flight, the freedom of the soul.

I have learnt to love the darkness of sorrow; there you see the brightness of His face."—Madame Guyon

"I will open rivers on the bare heights And springs in the midst of the valleys;

 I will make the wilderness a pool of water And the dry land fountains of water. 

"I will put the cedar in the wilderness, The acacia and the myrtle and the olive tree; 

I will place the juniper in the desert together with the box tree and the cypress, That they may see and recognize, And consider and gain insight as well, That the hand of the LORD has done this, And the Holy One of Israel has created it.

Isaiah 41:18-20

For more encouragement and hope for those days that you want to cry uncle, please head over to my post When Victory in the Christian Life Doesn't Seem So Victorious which you can read here.  Even though circumstances may look dark and hopeless, God is working and you WILL have victory.

The next time you feel like crying uncle, remember that Jesus defeated Sin and Satan.  There is no need to surrender or feel defeated.   Christ won the victory for us!  One day we will  live in Heaven with Him where there will be no more crying and no more pain.  May we all walk through every vale, in the freedom and joy of Christ Jesus, as the shiny new creations we are,  cleansed in His blood and ever in His care...   

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