Any time that we give power over our
self-worth to another person, rather than to God alone, we are making that
person an idol in our life.
As we discover our healthy self-worth
in Christ, based on knowing His Word and how He feels about us, then we can
follow the Holy Spirit’s direction in forming safe relationships.
We will still experience negative
feelings, such as hurt, fear, anger, loneliness, etc. These feelings are an
integral part of life, and they come with the human experience.
It is impossible to love without
opening our self up to be hurt. When we choose to love someone, we are giving
him/her the power to love us and to look to us to be loved.
However, we can love without also
giving them the power to hurt us or to allow their words and actions to cause
us to feel insecure, angry or frightened.
When someone’s words or behavior
trigger a negative reaction in us, this is a sign that something is very wrong.
We can take that negative emotion to God and ask Him to reveal the origin of
this sensitivity in us.
There may be an unresolved conflict
from our past, which is still very much alive in our subconscious mind; or it
may rise from some current situation that is causing this negative feeling. ( www.theophostic.com
)
Once we submit to God’s healing, these slights
and rejection no longer have the power to devastate us like they used to, because
we have a spiritual perspective now.
God helps us to resolve our negative
feelings, and we have peace within once again. At the same time, we can keep
communication open between our self and others.
We can even mention, in a
non-accusatory manner, that their behavior or words triggered a fearful or
hurtful reaction in us. However, we do not have to attack them or cause a
negative reaction in them, just because we are hurt.
Prayer:
Father God, it is so difficult to heal emotionally
once we are in a caustic relationship. Our mate expects us to act as we always do.
They feel threatened and confused as we start to change.
Remind us to share with them what we
are learning and how we are changing, so they will not be surprised by any
sudden transformation in our behavior. Create in both of us a clean heart that
lives only to serve You (Psalm 51:10).
Thought for the Day:
The best motivation for mutual change
in a relationship is to realize that change gives us a more intimate union.
For more information on our identity in
Christ read:
http://fulfilledchristianlife.blogspot.com/2015/02/normal-0-our-identity-in-christ-alone.html
