Welcome to my blog!
And a special welcome to you if you’re visiting after reading my guest
post on Renee Fisher’s Devotional Diva. This
entry is a companion reader to that post, which Renee wonderfully named, “A Woman Unashamed”.
That post started off by saying that I don’t like writing out
of emotions. And I don’t. That didn’t start off as a guest post. It started off as an email. And it was an email because commenting on
Renee’s blog seemed too public. It’s ok
if you laughed, I find God’s sense of humor very funny, too.
I also believe that God is big enough for our emotions—joy,
sorrow, anger, confusion, whatever. And
that wrestling with God is really really important. You’re not less of a person for not
understanding or not sheepishly accepting things. Needing to wrestle things out with God makes
you more of a person, in my opinion.
Jacob might also agree.
However, we weren’t designed to be lone rangers either, but
for community. So there is a certain
healthy level of venting to another human being that we need. I’m still learning what that healthy level
is, and while I’ve erred on both sides—silence and vocal—my major tendency is
to err on the side of silence. Both
sides can be destructive.
Here’s a picture of how I see that venting works: If you’re an introvert like me, you process
your ideas, emotions, frustrations, problems in your head. When I’m doing that, sometimes I reach a
point where churning the ideas and thoughts over and over ceases to produce
anything new or useful. It’s just the
same ideas/emotions rehashed, bouncing around inside my head. They bounce off each other, picking up speed
and energy, and soon it’s like a nightmarish game of junior high dodge ball,
where you’re stuck in the middle and everyone’s target. Even if I know what’s True, I can’t hear it
because I’m getting pelted by spiky balls of frustrated (often negative)
thoughts.
When I finally get around to venting (why I take so long is
a completely different matter for another day), speaking the thoughts ricocheting
around the inside of my head releases them.
They come out, and in the process, I both actually hear what I’ve been
thinking, and make room for me to hear the truth. Once all the thoughts are out, there is now
space for me to really listen.
The key element of venting is having another person hear you—really
hear your heart. Journaling, or driving
around yelling in your car, while they certainly have their place, don’t quite
work the same way. When you journal or
talk to yourself, you’re still keeping your thoughts. When talking with another human being, you’re
giving them a piece of yourself. Giving
your thoughts to another forces you to take your thoughts out of the dark of
isolation, and expose them to the light of communion.
Shame can be a self perpetuating thing, because shame wants
to hide. And when shame is hidden, it
grows. Shame tells you that exposure is
the worst thing that could possibly happen.
It is—it’s the worst thing that can happen to that thing causing you
shame. Exposure, done prayerfully and
with wisdom, will go to the root of that shame and bring healing and freedom. And, consequently, be one of the best things
that could possibly happen.
I’m still in process.
When Renee asked if she could use my email as a post, I thought I must
be crazy to agree. But I also knew it
was right. I hope you get benefit from a
glimpse of my journey, and if you’d like to chat more leave a comment or send
me a message.
I recommend checking out Isaiah 54. Go ahead and read the whole chapter, but here
are some highlights that I’ve been pondering:
“Enlarge the place of your tent,and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;do not hold back; lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. …Fear not, for you will not be ashamed;do not be confounded, for you will not be disgraced;for you will forget the shame of your youth …For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed,but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,”says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
Hi Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI saw your post on Renee's blog. Thank you for your honesty and your courage to share. I am happy to have found your blog, and I really like your writing style. It's always encouraging to know that we are not alone in our struggles, and I appreciate your reminder that we are to live our Christian lives in community, not isolation. :o)
You're very welcome, and thank you so much, Jen! I am glad that I could provide encouragement! I've learned more and more about how very important community is.
ReplyDeleteSarah - thank you for sharing your thoughts on Devotional Diva and here. As you said, there are all the "pat" answers that we could try to give each other...but those are just "pat" answers. I know one thing though - that God made you and He made your desires and I would not encourage you to stuff them again. I have learned that trying to integrate my humanity into my soul and spiritual life is the key...not an easy process but something that must be done if we truly want to experience all we are meant to. I just wrote a post that talks about how important the human side is to God: http://www.practicejoy.info/2012/03/is-cross-really.html
ReplyDeleteI also have really benefited from reading Peter Rollin's book Insurrection...that has allowed me to see that while God is always in control...He isn't the cosmo genie I think we tend to make Him out to be in our modern church.
Keep writing and sharing your story Sarah!
Thank you for your encouragement, Joy Gal. God's had me on a long journey of understanding the importance of and integration of body, soul, and spirit. I realize cognitively that stuffing desires/emotions is very much not a good idea. However, when I get to a place where I vent emotionally such as my guest post, I start sounding like the Israelites in the desert, "Why bring us this far only to kill us?" :o) I liked your post and the full circle you traveled with "it's all about the cross" being deconstructed in order to understand that it is all about the cross. And thanks for the book recommendation, I'll check it out!
ReplyDeletehttp://surveys.questionpro.com/a/TakeSurvey?id=3400365#spy_text_messages_iphone_app mobile phone gps tracking technology download [url=http://everyoneweb.com/spymobile1975a290/#cell_phone_spyware_download]spy call software mobile free download[/url] transunion credit monitoring customer service phone number how to make spy stuff out of paper cell phone spy for free http://everyoneweb.be/spymobile1981a258/#spy_kids_3d_movie_wiki spy camera android apk [url=http://spymobile-kjz9553.eklablog.com/lucky-link-himym-season-8-episode-12-music-free-phone-spy-apps-a67867463#gps_mobile_phone_tracking_software_free_download]spy on any cell phone free[/url] finding a cell phone location for free free cell phone sms spy download spy kids 2 island of lost dreams movie part 1 http://everyoneweb.be/spymobile1980a275/#mobile_spy_free international spy museum opening hours [url=http://everyoneweb.be/spymobile1974a147/#cars_spy_jet]outbound call monitoring sheet[/url] spy software cell phones free spy on someone using their cell phone hack cell phone into spy device
ReplyDeletehttp://everyoneweb.be/spymobile1978a273/#reverse_phone_number_tracer [url=http://surveys.questionpro.com/a/TakeSurvey?id=3400207#how_to_track_a_cell_phone_location_using_gps]how to locate a cell phone number in the philippines[/url]
#verizon_wireless_parental_controls_cell_phones