A Template for Dealing with Life’s Challenges
What do you do when God brings people into your life who need more than just a listening ear? What do you do when that hurting person is YOU? Try these time-tested tools to turn your trials into triumphs.
PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR PACE, PITCH, AND TONE, Proverbs 15:1
When you share with the hurting person in a soft, slow pace, there is a better chance they will match your pace, pitch, and tone and calm down long enough to form a reasonable response to the stressful situation.
PROTECT YOURSELF, Galatians 6:2-5
Be careful not to do for the hurting person what they need to do for themselves. It’s easy to feel bad for a person in pain, but we have to remember: Empower, don’t enable! Encourage every step of courage, so the helpee can lean on God, not on you.
HELP THE HURTING PERSON (or yourself) FIND:
A POSITIVE PERSPECTIVE, 1 Thess.5:18
They may be facing some challenging pain, and the only way to get through it is to look for what’s going right. If they continue to fixate on what’s going wrong, they will be circling the drain by dinnertime! Without minimizing the hurting person’s pain, suggest she make a Blessed List & read it often during these trying times.
POWER IN GOD’S WORD, Psalm 119:105
Employ the FREEING THREE. Select 3 Scripture verses that address your need. Read them 3x a day for 3 weeks. Place them in 3 easy-to-see places like the mirror, screen saver, and refrigerator. Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” God’s Word is that truth about who you are in Him.
PRAYER: THE DAILY DIALOGUE, 1 Thess. 5:17
Once God’s Word builds a case for how much He loves us and wants to take care of us, we are able to connect with Him. That happens when we stay online with the Lord in prayer all day long. We don’t say Amen! We don’t click off the cosmic computer or hang up the hotline to God. Instead, we remain intentional about keeping the communication lines open throughout the day
PARDON: FINDING FORGIVENESS, Ephesians 4:32
Forgiveness doesn’t make your offender right, it just makes you free! Choosing not to forgive allows that person to continue to harm us as we endlessly relive their offense. Many times we are held back in our growth because we can’t let go of our pain. Let go of the offense, and free yourself from the pain.
PURPOSE: WHAT REALLY MATTERS, Ephesians 2:10
Many times a hurting person’s best therapy is to do something for someone less fortunate. It gets our minds off our problems and helps us count our blessings as we realize we don’t have it so bad.
Adapted from Healing the Hurts That Are Holding You Back, by Linda Newton, www.iindanewtonspeaks.com