Scarred: Week Two

     For two weeks we have been in the Scarred series. Duey's points on all of the issues are valid and I totally agree with them. The main purpose of this post is to review the main points and add my thoughts to the mix, giving you a deeper look into what I think. These are all my true and honest feelings.
     Adding on to the idea that everyone has emotional scars, this week we talked about how people heal themselves. Obviously, they are not all healthy. Healthy healing is much better in the long run, but "Band-Aid" healing is faster, and at the time it seems like the best thing to do. The temporary relief feels good, but the aftermath has many different reactions.
     Many people, including myself, stuff their scars way down inside of them with the hopes of never having to deal with them. Personally, I dive into other activities, such as school and band as a way to "forget" about my scars of my troubles. Eventually the scars surface, and not in the way we all would like.
     The first way is by exploding. The saddest part is we usually explode at the people who try to help us or love us the most. Another way is to pout. For me pouting results into self pity, which sometimes leads even further into sadness. The third was to deny. Now, this may not be so obvious as the first two. The number one lie is when people say they are fine. This is denial too. To me, part of pouting and denial is that we want people to see that something is wrong, and somehow get the satisfaction of turning someone down.
     All of the ways to deal with scars are not bad. The general first step is so realize that Jesus wants to heal you.(Luke 19:10) Another thing that's not easy to do is doing the opposite of what feels safe. This option is not only extremely hard, but requires you to put yourself out there. Recently I tried this option, and the results were positive. I got the closure I needed, but the highest moment of fear was when I didn't know what would happen to me because of my opposite action. The opposite way of thinking applies not only to scars. The more I think about it, the more this idea relates back to how you live for God. If I am scared, I can just do the opposite of what I feel safe doing because I know that God will use my willingness in big ways. He wants to do big things through me, but I must make myself available to do his work.
     There are four specific ways to have healthy healing. One is to connect through safe friends. My one thought on this is that you need to make sure that you can trust these friends. One of the worst things I have experienced is trusting a friend who turned around and shared my secrets with others. Once I have found that person I can trust, which is now my 180 leader, I use total honesty. Hiding things from people who care about me won't help. Repenting and repairing comes next. Even taking time to confess my sins and praying is an example of this. As I said before, being available for God's use is key.
     Okay, so I know this blog post was kind of long, but hopefully it was worth your reading. Very deep thoughts, especially for me, but that comes with the topic. Now I leave you with an encouraging verse, regardless of what may be going on in your life right now, God loves and cares about you.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. 
Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. 
Plans to give you hope and a future.