Thursday, May 27, 2010

Shelly Says ~ "Take a Break"

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!

Due to the responses I've received via e-mail and comments, it is becoming more and more evident that many of us need some more time with Part 3 of our study.

It is usually a difficult thing to look back at your past and survey the places of deep frustration, hurt, and mistakes. It is very important, though, that we do this in a nonjudgmental way so that we may invite forgiveness and healing into our lives. It is also important to recognize the things that keep us in bondage so that we may be set free.

As scheduled, we will take a break from May 28 - May 31. On Tuesday June 1st, we will resume our study; and, June 1 - June 3 will be our final discussion of Chapters 13-22 before continuing on our journey.

Please take time between now and June 3rd to read or reread any portions from Chapters 13-22, answer the study questions, and take a good look at your life.

If you stumble upon a little resistance or frustration, try to push through the pain. If, however, you are meeting extreme resistance and frustration... you may want to seek the help of wise counsel and/or a spiritual director to help you work through the rough spot.

Sometimes, just writing about the problem will help you sort out the pain. Feel free to post anonymous comments to this blog and/or to contact me via e-mail if you just need to let off some steam.

I am praying for you as you continue to survey your past and learn from it. This is usually not an easy thing to, but the rewards are well worth it.

Stop, Drop and Pray for your fellow companions and for yourself. God makes this process so much easier if we depend on Him for help. I suggest prayer as your first line of help.

See you Tuesday!

1 comment:

  1. * This information is adapted from one of my favorite books: Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Calhoun plus my own thoughts and feelings.

    The purpose of this exercise is to seek renewal, transformation and change.

    This is not about taking a shame-inducing inventory of your life; however, it is about opening yourself up to God in the safety of His love.

    After reading the questions and answering them, take your thoughts and confessions to God in prayer.

    Questions for self-examination/confession:

    1) What experiences have affected your ability to give and receive forgiveness?

    2) When have you tasted the joy of forgiveness? What was it like for you?

    3) Are there any areas of your life in which you need to ask for forgiveness? Any areas in which you need to forgive? *Really take a good look at the 10 Commandments and be honest about the times you have done things that go against these commands.

    4) Take note of your strong emotions. When you feel angry, take the time to examine why you feel angry. For example: Ask yourself, why am I angry? Then, what is it about the situation/person that angers me? Why do I care? Is there anything in my life that points to the deep-down reason for this anger? Here's an example: I am angry because my son bit another child at school. I don't want my child to cause harm to other people. And, now I have to deal with the principal calling me and reprimanding my child. I care because he is my child and I love him, plus, I don't want him causing trouble at school. My parents always got angry when I got in trouble at school and told me I was embarrassing them. They also told me that no daughter of theirs should be behaving that way.

    So, in this situation... it sounds like the anger could be coming from a past hurt over how her parents felt when she misbehaved. She is now transferring that hurt to her relationship with her son.

    This is how past hurt continues to injure relationships with others.

    * This exercise also works with other emotions. It's important to know why we have the feelings that surface. When we take this deep of a look at things... we often realize the true root of the problem and can deal with it.

    5) After forgiving others, ask God to show you if you need to forgive yourself. Some of the deepest hurts come from a lack of forgiving yourself. Our enemy tries to hold us captive with unforgiveness by using that stamp of shame to his advantage.

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