In worship on Sunday we finished our final guardrail . . guarding our heart.
There are four emotions/things we can “watch for” in order to guard our hearts . . . if we notice these things occurring, if we will identify them, process them, and then let them go we will find that we will live lives full of joy, hope, love, and peace!
Guilt, Anger, Greed, and Jealousy
If we will explore each of these emotions, we will notice that we “think” things when we feel them. If we will learn to “think” differently we will find that these serve as the perfect guardrails because they will guide us back into the “safety zone” of our hearts. We won’t trapped in the negativity but instead we will experience great freedom.
Guilt – We think “I owe you.”
So ask, “Did I do this to intentionally hurt someone?” Or, “Why do I feel so guilty about this?”
We are only as sick as our secrets and guilt drives us inward and isolates us from those that we love.
So confess the guilt to someone in your life that you care about. Either the person you offended or someone that really cares about you and doesn’t let you get away with all your “stuff.” Allow that person to “hear you,” confess your stuff, and you’ll find a freedom and peace you’ve not known.
Anger – We think “You owe me”
We are angry because we think that someone has done something to us, hurt us or taken away something that we care about.
The problem with anger is that it ALWAYS leaks. It bleeds out into other people and situations, it is never isolated to the person that we are really angry at. It drives a wedge into healthy relationships. So we need to let it go.
The way to process anger is to forgive!
Forgiveness is deciding that life or people don’t “owe” us anymore. We cancel the “debts” that we feel are owed us.
Greed – We think “I owe me.”
We believe that all that exists is ours for consumption. We find that we never have enough and we are constantly thinking about the “next thing we need to acquire.
Changing this and establishing this guardrail is easy – – – just find something beyond yourself, a cause, “someone else” – and give.
Jealousy – We think “Life owes me.”
It is so difficult NOT to feel this because when life deals us crap, in our pain we feel like it is unfair. We believe we deserve a break. Ultimately, guess what – life doesn’t “owe us” anything. It would be so nice if it did because then we could expect it to be easy. But – life has no favorites – we all are going to have to walk through difficult things.
The way to navigate this is instead of feeling “owed” – instead, just feel grateful.
If we will stop and look around IN our lives, even in the most difficult things we will find that beautiful things for which we can be grateful are right in front of us. We just have to be willing to see.
Experiencing this gratitude, truly – it is the most beautiful thing.
Guardrails and boundaries – they are game changes in our lives.
Let’s remember them, live with them, and we will be forever changed.
Grace and Peace,
Andrea