Dealing with emotions can be challenging at times. We become stimulated and our emotions begin to take in a positive or sometimes negative direction. I have many positive emotions in my life at this time. It is a time of joy and my Sveta brings that joy to me. Looking back into my past, I can remember the wounds from my parents. Then in college I heard a teaching on forgiveness. That very night I called up each of my parents and forgave them. Since then I had a good relationship with them. Had I not made the decision to override my feelings, who knows how many years I would have carried it inside of me. Forgiving really takes more power than fostering the feelings but the positive outcomes seem to elude our feelings. As the feelings are reinforced, the brain builds the pattern so that the memory follows the path of least resistance i.e. the one that is reinforced. In renewing our mind we create new paths in the brain and the old ones diminish.
What really upsets me is when I went to two people who I had damaged the relationship-actually it was both sides, but I am responsible for my part. I confessed my sin to the person, said that I was sorry for hurting them, and asked for forgiveness. Each person did forgive me in the conversation. However, niether person acknowledged how I had been wounded. Their actions and words hurt me. Why do people not reconcile when they know they hurt soemone? Over time the memory will emerge-the devil probably gives it a boost-and I have to stop myself and make a consciuos effort to forgive again. If I let the emotion go too far I end up having to ask God to forgive me for my thoughts-sometimes quite evil and change my thoughts. It reminds me of "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it" (Proverbs 4). I try to reolve the emotion as soon as possible and usually enclose it and deal with it within a matter of minutes. I know some people who go on about a hurt for 30-40 minutes and bring it up multiple times in my presence. Who knows how much they grind over the hurt. I also notice these people are frequently sick and have a negative outlook on life. The emotions and thinking carries over to the body. I make it a point to guard my heart by confessing my sins as soon as possible and forgiving others.
What really upsets me is when I went to two people who I had damaged the relationship-actually it was both sides, but I am responsible for my part. I confessed my sin to the person, said that I was sorry for hurting them, and asked for forgiveness. Each person did forgive me in the conversation. However, niether person acknowledged how I had been wounded. Their actions and words hurt me. Why do people not reconcile when they know they hurt soemone? Over time the memory will emerge-the devil probably gives it a boost-and I have to stop myself and make a consciuos effort to forgive again. If I let the emotion go too far I end up having to ask God to forgive me for my thoughts-sometimes quite evil and change my thoughts. It reminds me of "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it" (Proverbs 4). I try to reolve the emotion as soon as possible and usually enclose it and deal with it within a matter of minutes. I know some people who go on about a hurt for 30-40 minutes and bring it up multiple times in my presence. Who knows how much they grind over the hurt. I also notice these people are frequently sick and have a negative outlook on life. The emotions and thinking carries over to the body. I make it a point to guard my heart by confessing my sins as soon as possible and forgiving others.
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