We all have our issues. Struggles. Themes. Dragons that pop up at the most unexpected times. They aren’t pretty and we like to stuff them away because we don’t want to show our vices. Or we wear them as a badge and defy anyone to tell us to get over it.
I’m very, very ashamed of mine. Because, well, it’s the complete opposite of the second commandment Jesus left us.
Hate. Rage. Resentment.
I try to ignore it. Stuff it down. Throw Bible verses on it like water on a flame.
Doesn’t work.
It pops right back up again at absolutely horrible times and tries to destroy my relationships, my happiness and my life. The thing is, I know it’s not me. I want loving, peaceful, respectful friendships. I want to operate with strength and joy and bring life into the situations around me.
I was listening to Joyce Meyer today and she totally challenged me with this statement:
Jesus didn’t die so we could have a new kind of misery and put a Christian label on it.
So true. But that’s how my life operates much of the time. I get so wrapped up in negative emotions that I can’t enjoy anything and I struggle with finding a reason to continue.
The upstairs neighbors who are currently stomping around so hard that my ceiling light is shaking. The people I encounter at work who seem to be operating with a shrunken frontal lobe. The people who falsely accuse me. Church members who make fun of my jeans and look down upon my family. Family members who hold grudges. Customers who blame me for their mistakes. A father who left me. A man who broke my heart.
I can hate them and be destroyed. I can ignore them and become hardened. Or I can love them and be healed.
So in my journey to become less miserable and perhaps even regain some happiness, I’m going to start a love challenge. It’s time to soften my heart.
(I have no idea what said challenge consists of, but we’ll figure it out)
This takes guts!!! I’m proud of you for facing your dragons with a sword and shield instead of cowering in a cave hiding from it! So many of us (self included) approach life with a our own version of truth, but seem to bypass so many of the tough stuff that we don’t know how to handle. We go about our lives and bottle up the emotion that doesn’t play nice with where we’re at, or we let it all loose and come across as volatile and unstable. The REAL Truth is that there is only 1 answer for these giants. Love. It’s so simple and yet SOOOOOOO hard! How do you love someone the did everything but destroy you? But that’s the thing. Until we can reach that point, we can’t get past it. Until we can respond with love instead of fear, that giant is still gonna be there. Those dragon are still breathing fire. Love is the solution and i commend you for challenging yourself to take on this battle. It might be painful, and it may come with some scars, but you can do it!!! I’m proud of you!