No one likes to admit they have a problem. What if what you thought was true was really just a dream-world of your own making? (a la "Matrix") Would you want to know you were asleep? What if you were sleeping in fire? Reality might be killing us, yet many of us would rather dream, especially if the dream is better than reality.

The people in Jeremiah’s day were dreaming too. Day after day they went on sinning, not heeding cries to wake up! “My people are fools; they do not know me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good.” (Jeremiah 4:22). We can get so caught up in destructive behavior that we have convinced ourselves that there is no problem. “All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD” (Proverbs 16:2). What if you were on a destructive path and didn’t know it?

There are all kinds of things we do. We have idols, desires and addictions. We have patterns of sinful behavior like anger, deceitfulness, selfishness and gossip. We “have eyes but do not see. We have ears but do not hear” (Jeremiah 5:21). We become so captivated by the idols of our own making that we begin to act like them. We get up every day, and go to work. We sit down in front of a square box at night. And God gets ignored. They were as deaf and blind as the statues they worshipped.

In Jeremiah’s day the leaders were saying “Peace, peace” when there was no peace. (6:14). We would rather listen to false good news, then true bad news.
So if all our ways seem innocent how do we know we need to turn around?

First, look for the truth. “Ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls” (Jeremiah 6:16). We have to want what is better enough to change the path we are on. Looking at our own lives honestly can be tough. It hurts to admit that we have a problem, whether it’s a sin, or an addiction, or a crumbling home life. But we can’t get better until we acknowledge that we need help.

Second, listen to the truth. “I appointed watchmen over you” (Jeremiah 6:17-18). It’s easy to surround ourselves with people who tell us only what we want to hear. But a person,who really cares will tell you the truth EVEN if it means you’ll be mad at them! “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses” (Proverbs 27:6). Listen to the people who care about you. Don’t assume that just because you don’t like the message, that your friend has turned their back on you. Perhaps he is the one who loves you enough to tell you the truth.

And finally, acknowledge reality. It may be painful, but it’s the first step, before healing can begin. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins…” (I John 1:9).