It’s true.
I can’t STAND the word “pit.”
And in fact, a few days ago when Emma Kate and I were talking about Beth Moore’s book Get Out of That Pit, I mentioned my disdain for the last word in the title.
“Well, it’s BIBLICAL,” Emma Kate said.
“I know it’s Biblical, missy,” I replied. “But I just think there could be a better word. Something not quite so dirty. Something that doesn’t make me wrinkle my nose when I say it.”
“Well, missy, I think you can just get over not liking the word, because that’s the word. Period.”
We call each other “missy” a lot, if you can’t tell.
And really, the more I think about it, the more I realize that the word I dislike so much – the word that refers to those deep, dark parts of our lives – it should be something that makes us wrinkle our noses, something that makes us just a little bit uncomfortable. Because the fact of the matter is that we don’t have any business, as believers, hanging out in, well, pits.
(I totally just wrinkled my nose.)
When I started reading Get Out of That Pit, I was a little detached, honestly; Beth (and I say that like she’s my BFF and we shop for shoes together, but I just can’t bring myself to call her “Mrs. Moore”) mentions that that there are essentially three means to pit-dwelling: being thrown in, slipping in, and jumping in. And as I read through the chapter that covered that first point, I wasn’t sure that I could relate. Certainly there have been times in my life when I’ve been thrown in a pit by something someone else has done, but that’s not where I am right now, by God’s grace (see: “victory in Jesus,” “more than conquerors,” etc.).
But then I got to the second route to the pit: slipping in.
And I may have done that a time or two hundred.
You know the drill: you tippy toe! tippy toe! over to something that you have no business messing with – an old hurt, an old habit, an old hang-up (my former pastor’s words, not mine). You mess with it a little – and then you step back. Then you mess with it a little bit more, and you back away again – but maybe not quite as far away as you did before. And gradually, slowly but surely, you slip back into the depths of that particular thing. Instead of keeping a healthy distance away from it, you’re all up in the middle of it. Back in the dead-center of the pit.
I’d like to think, as a fairly intelligent 30-something woman, that I’m immune to doing anything so stupid, to doing anything so self-destructive. But I do – and the devil loves it, no doubt.
There are two areas of my life that have been consistent battlegrounds: discipline and trust. The biggest way the discipline issue manifest itself is with my ongoing battle with weight (sidenote: DON’T GET ME STARTED, but as I told Big Mama in an email the other day, I would like to lose 40 pounds in the next two weeks, so if she needs to find me I’ll be right here starving myself. Which I WON’T, of course. I was just kidding. But sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying, and I’m just keepin’ it real, interpeeps. And now I’m fearful of getting emails telling me YOU DON’T HAVE TO STARVE YOURSELF and PLEASE, WOMAN, EAT SOME CHICKEN, so let me just reiterate for clarity that I was kidding).
The trust thing is an issue that I thought cropped up for the first time in my 30’s, but I’ve really dealt with it my whole life, I think. If I’m not careful I can find myself doing terribly productive things like Waiting For The Other Shoe To Drop, and the older I get the more I realize that it’s a pit custom-designed for me, a trap that the devil uses to steal my natural bent towards joy. I’ll think I’m over it, that I’m done with it, that I’m not going to worry about such-and-such ANY MORE – and then BAM! – I seize up like a rusty motor.
If rusty motors actually “seize,” that is. I’ve never been very strong with the figurative language. But you know what I mean.
So in the end, I think the biggest thing Beth’s book did for me is to remind me that these pits that continually beckon me are spiritual battles, and I can’t fight them in my own strength. I try – but at the end of the day, “willpower” is just another word and not a bit of help in terms of climbing out of the pits into which I sometimes slide. What I need instead is His power, because if you get right down to it, there really aren’t any battles that we’re meant to fight alone.
“I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.” – Pslam 40:1-3
To see more responses to this book or to add your own, head over to Robin’s blog. Also: anyone can jump in the discussion in the comments; you don’t have to have read the book to chime in.
OOOOHHH I’m first again! And I have nothing to say about the book because I haven’t read it! But I’m first!
Pit makes me think of armpit.
There, something to add.
boomama, I too have done my share of the “tippy toe, tippy toe” around the edge of the pit thing! I think the enimy would like us to think it’s no big deal…(it’s his biggest con ever) that edge is slippery!!!
There has been a general theme among comments–alot of us didn’t think we were in a pit until we read the book! I’m glad Beth has shown us the light so we can all be free!
While I have not finished the book yet, I am even more encouraged to finish it soon now that I have read your little take on it. Pit not my favorite word either, but I am a repeat pit dweller if ever there was one. At times I have even tried to decorate my pit to make it seem a little less pit-ish. Sounds like I better get back to reading. Thanks for sharing!
I need to get this book. I feel like I’ve been in a pit for two years and can’t seem to fight my way out of this muddy mire. Maybe, it’s because I’m not trying hard enough and would rather wallow in the “victim-ness” (you know what I mean) of the wrong that was done to me. Yeah, I really need this book.
I, too, have not read the book (yet!) but felt like I should grab this opportunity to just post something for the sake of being toward the top o’ the list! (For fear it may never happen again…)
So I don’t feel guilty that I’ve totally wasted everyone’s time, and to avoid being pegged as “that-Texas-chick-who-has-nothing-to-say-but-wastes-perfectly-good-first-spots-in-the-comment-line”, is there another book in the hopper yet for the next Book Club meeting?
Have a great weekend, y’all!
I haven’t read the book, but plan to now. I am not a tippy-toer…I am full-fledged put your suit on and do a back-flip in kind-of girl. I also struggle with weight and trust. I am your pit-mate. I can’t wait to get this book!
hi boomama!
i had the same experience — i thought that the book wasn’t going to apply to me until i got to the chapter about “slipping” into a pit…
and pit IS an ugly word. that’s because a pit is an ugly place. and God wants you to get out! discipline is a big one for me (it applies to so many things, doesn’t it? weight, being on time, proscratination…) and i think maybe materialism is my other battleground if that’s the right word for it.
but i like your thought: instead of needing willpower, we need HIS power. God bless us :-)
Sounds like you are all getting some good stuff out of this book. I might have to pick it up.
BTW, I am fighting the urge to type the word “pit” repeatedly. Just to be annoying.
Must hit “submit” before I succumb to the urge.
Pit. Pit. Pit. You’re right — it’s an ugly word, slimy and annoying.
I haven’t read the book — but hope to someday. Glad to hear your take on it.
Discipline and trust are two of my big issues as well. When will I ever grow up?
I didn’t like the term “pit” either. But I like the way you put it – it should be something that doesn’t come off of our tongues like sugar.
Loved your points – it makes me want to sing “put on the full armor of God so you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” ….la la la.
I JUST totally finished reading this book, as part of our book for the month of march for the depression support group on Mom’s of Grace. It is SUCH a good book and I will keep it forever to help me to remember to stay out of the pit I was in for so long. Thank you for reminding me that this is the right thing to do. it is so ironic that I see this post literally hours after I finished reading the book. I will also be adding you to my favorites…lol
I call one of my “pit”falls the cold I can’t seem to get rid of. It’s an old hurt that really should have left my mind and heart a long time ago. I say I try to let it go, but inevitably something will happen to bring it to the forefront of my mind.
I feel like it’s the junk drawer that I’ve moved from house to house just to keep from addressing it. This hurt and distrust go hand in hand for me and causes me to face my giant of bitterness, unforgiveness and plenty of other -nesses!
I will pray for you and hope you will do the same as we are all just wandering sheep in the same flock.
(ps – if you lose even 20lbs in a week, I need to know how!)
Pit is a game in our house. Yeah, I don’t like it as a game either. Mainly because I can’t win it, and I’m just a wee bit competitive and all.
Discipline/willpower – oh, I love how you described it His-power! Perhaps that explains why I don’t always put down the fork when necessary, get up to exercise, make that call to say I’m sorry, ask for help when I need it, hold that anger inside after saying that I’ve let it go, give up worrying about whether our house will sell and where we shall move… need I go on? I forget that God said He would fight my battles for me if I will just trust in Him and His power. He meant that for all areas of my life, great and small.
I have a feeling that I should read that book too.
Wail…….! My book is still on the way. I think in a rowing boat from the States. Via Hong Kong. Or Antactica. Enough said. I will read it when it finally gets here, and will let you know what I thought. I do hope the next book is one I can get more easily!
Boomama~ I have not read the book but I am going to get it today! I have been dealing with these same issues for a while. I can totally relate to the weight thing and the trust thing.
I really enjoy your blog! I read the post about the basketball game out loud to my husband and had to stop and laugh 20 times!
Thanks for being real!
You know something interesting to me is: This is about my 7th or 8th review of this book today and I have realized that I’ve missed something very important. When I think of my pits, they’ve been H-U-G-E pits, but I’ve left out some dirtier, suction-i-er pits that I blow off. Maybe I need to read that book again. {…sigh…}
I was able to hear Beth at her simulcast last (?) week and it was fantastic. One thing she said about our pits was that we tend to decorate our pits. I don’t know if this is in the book or not – but it spoke to me in volumes. Some of our pits are decorated with self-portraits. Some pits are decorated with pictures of other people. Some pits are decorated with family portraits.
Isn’t it amazing how we take something we consider rather dirty and nasty and decorate it in an attempt to make it more pleasing to the eye? Beth said “We stay in our pit because something there attracts us.”
Ouch.
Thanks for making me laugh.
I agree with you…”pit” is just the pits to think of and to say…
Makes me not want to stay in one any longer…’course, I’m always on the verge of another…**dancin’ on the edge**
Pull me back, Jesus…I can feel myself about to go in again!!
I’m so glad “we” chose this book!!! It has clearly made an impact on many women. I would say Yea, us, but we both know it’s really Yea, God!
By the way, when I started to comment several hours ago, I was #2. Oops.
I am totally feeling you! I would like to loose at LEAST 40 pounds by tomorrow! My sister in laws baby shower is tomorrow and I am still carrying around my baby weight…UGH! I definately have trust issues as well, I am to skeptical…working on both…sigh!
Thanks for sharing Boomama. You know, you are such an encouragement to so many of us each and everyday which I believe makes you a big target for the enemy. I love that you are emersing yourself in God’s word and great books like “Get Out of the Pit” because you do make such difference in this blogging world. Thanks for your honesty and always for your contagious humor.
Discipline and trust – the two big doozies. I’m with ya there. :) Great book.
Hello Kettle, this is the pot…..
And I don’t just mean my hips…..
Oh yes, the word pit turned me off this book too, but now that I read your comment I think I will have to suck it up and add it to the thousand or so books on my “to be read” or TBR pile.
But the real reason I had to comment to this post is the trust issue.
It reminds me of Paul’s confusing statement in Romans 7:15-20 about doing the things we don’t want to do, and not doing the things we want to do and really knowing better. I want to trust God, but then get blindsided by something and am convinced that I am a spiritual infant and have made no growth but then find my way to trusting again.
I want to trust all the time, but have my moments of doubt, and hate it, but then go back to trusting.
And I guess that according to the world I have good reason to doubt, but I DON’T WANT TO! I want to trust God!
Sometimes it feels like I have to bully myself into it, and then I am so glad that I did.
And sometimes it is a case of being willing to sit with the question. And coincidentally I just blogged about that today on my very first day of blogging.
Kristy
(Mrs. Pear)
You know that song, “Trust and Obey, cause there’s no other way…”?? I think that song should be played every single morning on my alarm clock! I struggle with both of these issues MIGHTILY. Thank you for your review, and for your willingness to share. And hey, I guess “Get out of that pit” sounds better than say, “Come out of that closet!!” :)
Thanks so much for sharing, I think this is a book I need to read! I really appreciate your humor even while discussing serious topics – you are so entertaining! Having recently started a blog of my own, I have added you to my blogroll. I hope that’s ok. :)
Sounds like an interesting book, I haven’t read this one of hers yet, but I may just have to go buy it now!!
I have enjoyed reading through your blog!!
“Well it’s Biblical!” LOL I used to have a daughter who said things like that….well actually I still do. She’s just a lot older. SOme things never change.
I haven’t read the book you mentioned, but the word, “pit’ always makes me think of a cherry pit. I think there used to be a game called Pit at one time.
i have a ton to write on this but for now i will just mention that a big thing that jumped out at me was that they may not be huge pits like drug addiction or adultery but lots of MINI PITS…and we might be PIT JUMPERS…WHOa..that is so me..i have been thinking about that a lot..i think some of it for us women ahs to do with hormonal cycles etc…
I’ve haven’t read the book, but I watch her most Wednesday on Life Today with the Robisons. She is currently speaking about the pit.
My real reason for writing, (and please, nobody roll your eyes–or anything else for that matter) is to say,
HOW ‘BOUT THEM DAWGS?!?!
Yes, I’m still hung up on March madness. And for the record, that’s not a pit. It’s a ministry, I tell you.
Oh BooMama, I know what you mean—I call her “Beth” too as if she were my real life friend. And right now I’m doing her Daniel study. It is all I can do not to call everyone around me “beloved” because that is how she refers to you/me/reader in the book so often.
I want to read “Git Out of that Pit” (notice my southern spelling of git) but I am waiting until I’m done with Daniel.
I wanted to read the book with you all, but didn’t have the chance. After reading your review here, it does seem to be a book worth reading. Im hoping our library will get it soon.
My most favorite “pit” quote is that of Corrie Ten Boom (or was it her sister Betsy who said it):
“There is no pit too deep that God isn’t deeper still”.
And just because God loves you dearly, he prompted me to share this link with you:
http://lizas-eyeview.blogspot.com/2007/03/i-simply-live-for-you-words-and-music.html
Hello,
Just stopping by to ‘discuss’ the book club book. I enjoyed reading your notes. I too had trouble at first, seeing my own smelly, slimy abode. I am so grateful for this book club and my first chance to experience a Beth Moore book. Stay away from that edge, it’s slippery! Here’s to heading up and out, hanging on to God’s robe.
~TaunaLen