M. Diane Pearce, PhdFinding myself having an intense reaction to others, because I feel slighted, discarded, overlooked or without value warrants a renewal of practicing meditations on truth. This calls for an adjustment of my auto-pilot or muscle memory reactions.
When someone says or does things that hurts me, it is time to consider and think on what I know to be true. Meditating on truth is a necessity! Help me, Father, to remember and rest in the awareness that… I know that Abba Father values me as His own, because He made me. I know that Abba Father calls me by name, because He rescues me from myself. I know that Abba Father calls me to do for others, because He equips me. I pray - Help me to remember and rest in the awareness of these truths, especially when I am hurt by the unavailability, abandonment, forgetfulness or unkindness of others. Help me when I am hurting to admit it to you, my heavenly Father, and to the other person when appropriate. Help me to do this without blaming, accusing, or labeling them or their actions. After all, I do not answer for their actions, I answer only for my own. Have mercy on them, as they do not know the effects of what they have done. Give me courage and strength to change my reactions to others. Give me serenity to accept where they are at and that I do not know their circumstances in full. Give me discernment to know the difference between what I can change and what I cannot change. Give me wisdom to only invest my thoughts and energy in changing what I am in control of, nothing more and nothing less. If I am granted the right amount of courage, serenity, and discernment, I will be equipped to invest with those who are receptive, and I will also be able to ‘shake it off’ with those who are not receptive. Help me to listen to the voice of truth and reason while never underestimating the power of my emotions. To ignore my emotion sets me up to have a spillover reaction towards others. To place too much value on emotion will lead me to isolate in hopes of avoiding discomfort. So, there is a delicate balance that I am incapable of managing on my own. This is the reason for me to be conscious of the ever-present help of my creator, my heavenly Father. To be conscious of His presence, I choose to be mindful and fully tuned into His words more than any other words spoken by others. For further study: Scripture adapted from NIV Holy Bible, Hosea 6:8, Zephaniah 3:17, Matthew 10, 12 & 13. Warmly, ~dr P
0 Comments
M. Diane Pearce, Ph.D., LMFTWhen doubts creep in or we grow tired and weary, God has some advice for us. Abba Father knows best the ‘what’ and the ‘when’ of my needs more than I. Whether I am in want of recognition, comfort, or guidance, He tells me what to do, in no uncertain terms and with no candy coating. He is ‘to the point,’ time and time again! In Deuteronomy 10:20, He says “HOLD FAST”! We will be at peace if we can listen to His advice to us as His children. H - Humility In the SoulHumility puts into perspective how very little power I have & how much power He has. (Deut. 9:5-6) O – OBEY GOD’S WAYSObserving & Obeying His ways gives us strength to do what He has called us to do. (Deut. 11:8-13) L – LAY CLAIM TO WHAT HE GIVESLaying claim and holding onto what He calls us to do (and where He provides for us to do it), no matter how small the territory or how big, is an act of obedience. (Deut. 11:24-31) D – DEFENDING and LOVING THOSE IN NEEDBecause we all have been or will become weak, poor, aged or alone, He asks us to defend and love those who are in need, following His example and command. (Deut. 10:17-20) F – FEAR GOD ALONEHaving a fear of God that outweighs our fear of a circumstance or a person is the path to ensuring that I will not lose my way. (Deut. 6:13 and 11:12) A – ASSURANCE COMES FROM GODBeing assured by God requires that I see that my strength comes from His mighty power and outstretched arm. My confidence does not come from my own skills or integrity. (Deut. 9:3-4) S – SERVE GOD’S AGENDA ONLYServing God’s agenda and being careful, lest I get distracted by what may even appear to be good, will ensure that the responsibilities and territory that God wants me to manage will be given to me by His strength. (Deut. 11:16-24) T –TRUSTING IN HIS WAYSTrusting in God’s redemption of myself and those I care for, more than I trust in my own logic, requires that I believe in His plan and in His Great Power. (Deut. 9:23-29) Love the Lord your God, walk in His ways and Hold Fast to Him! M. Diane Pearce, Ph.D., LMFTFinding myself having an intense reaction to others, because I feel slighted, discarded, overlooked and without value warrants a renewal of practicing meditations on truth. This calls for an adjustment of my auto-pilot or muscle memory reactions.
When someone says or does things that hurt me, it is time to consider and think on what I know to be true. Help me to remember and rest in the awareness that… I know that God values me as His own, because He made me. I know that God calls me by name, because He rescues me from myself. I know that God calls me to do for others, because He equips me. Help me to remember and rest in the awareness of these truths, especially when I am hurt by the unavailability, abandonment, forgetfulness or unkindness of others. Help me when I am hurting to admit it to you, my heavenly Father, and to the other person when appropriate. Help me to do this without blaming, accusing, or labeling them or their actions. After all, I do not answer for their actions, I answer only for my own. Have mercy on them, as they do not know the effects of what they have done. Give me courage and strength to change my reactions to others. Give me serenity to accept where they are at and what they are capable of in this relationship. Give me discernment to know the difference between what I can change and what I cannot change. Give me wisdom to only invest my thoughts and energy in changing what I am in control of…nothing more and nothing less. If I am granted the right amount of courage, serenity, and discernment, I will be equipped to invest with those who are receptive, and I will also be able to ‘shake it off’ with those who are not receptive. Help me to listen to the voice of truth and reason while never underestimating the power of my emotions. To ignore my emotion sets me up to have a spillover reaction towards others. To place too much value on emotion will lead me to isolate in hopes of avoiding discomfort. So, there is a delicate balance that I am incapable of managing on my own. This is the reason for me to be conscious of the ever-present help of my creator, my heavenly Father. To be conscious of His presence, I choose to be mindful and fully tuned into His words more than any other. For further study: Scripture adapted from NIV Holy Bible, Hosea 6:8, Zephaniah 3:17, Matthew 10, 12 & 13. M. Diane Pearce, Ph.D., LMFTJust as a change of season brings a renewal of color and a fresh perspective, our soul longs to embrace a renewed perspective of life itself, at its fullest! Purging the old and embarking on a renewed perspective after a season of loss, dryness, or feeling weathered requires a resuscitation of the heart and a chance for vibrant life once again.
Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), medically serves patients who are in cardiac arrest and is a component of basic life support when life itself is threatened. Soul level CPR is required for us when the vitality of our soul and ability to relate to others is in jeopardy. Soul Level CPR: Cleansing my heart before someone greater than myself, praising someone greater than myself, and requesting from someone greater than myself will resuscitate my soul! CLEANSING Daily purging out what is in the deep of my soul frees me of defective thinking and the tendency of viewing myself through a faulty lens. We are all vulnerable to viewing ourselves through a lens of shame, pride, negativity, blame, envy, hurt or resentment. Admitting to God aloud, or in writing, that I have weakness in my thought life, frees me from being held in bondage to the weakness. Surrendering and weeding out the build-up of what is inconsistent with my purpose brings clarity once again...renewal for the soul. PRAISING Daily writing or speaking aloud my appreciation for what I have been given, protects me from slipping into an attitude of entitlement and pride. Giving credit where credit is due prompts a perspective shift - it protects my heart from laying claim to my privileged state and enables me to avoid an emotional plagiarism. But, with life comes the broken, the poor, the abandoned, the imprisoned, the grief, the despair and the ashes. But, we can thank God for the hard in life, because we know HE will use the heard for a divine purpose! He provides us with good news, options for healing and freedom from captivity. Amidst the hard things in life, divine intervention can bloom! If our hearts are in tune with His ways, He gives us His favor, His comfort, His vengeance on our behalf, beauty, gladness and gratefulness once again...renewal for the soul. REQUESTING Making a daily appeal to God with a desperate boldness of spirit for Rebuilding, Restoring and Renewing first within me and then for others, is an act that reflects dependence on God. If I choose to accept that I am not meant to fix, adjust, control or tweak others, then I will give up a habitual thought life that is consumed by the things in life that I have no power to change. When I surrender what I am passionate about several times a day, my thought life will not linger in areas that are not healthy for me. As a result, I will have more emotional energy, and I will be dependent on the one who loves me more deeply than anyone else. Requests laid at the feet of God free me up to have peace that defies human understanding once again…. renewal for the soul. Soul Level CPR requires a frequent surrendering to God and His truth, which results in me living on purpose. God can revive each of us with Soul Level CPR, which protects us from becoming one who is hardened by pride or the challenges of this life. Praying you are blessed by renewal today. ~Dr. Diane (Holy Bible, NIV, Psalms 22:9-11& 25, 25:4-5, 139: 23-24, Isaiah 61:1-4) M. Diane Pearce, Ph.D, LMFTAs I celebrate the birth of Jesus, I tend to over schedule, over socialize, over spend, and I get overwhelmed. (Merry Christmas!) Like a clown juggler, I attempt to balance my schedule, socializing, finances, health, and holiday cheer (I think). Then I strive to focus on the One who made Christmas possible. Ironic, don’t you think?
In my constant flurry of activity, perhaps it is time to STOP! Perhaps I can take a deep breath of fresh air and consider some advice from the One who has made Christmas possible. My Father tells me to "preserve sound judgment and discernment." He tells me to "never let it out of my sight." It does not take a doctor to know that there may be a problem here. He also tells me that If I follow this path of "sound judgment and discernment," I will "go forth in safety and I will not stumble." That sounds like a good deal to me (and, let me tell you, I know a good deal when I see one, because, as you may have guessed, I have practiced looking for good deals a lot!). Also, I need all the help I can get in the "not stumbling" part. I have been a stumbling kind of person my entire life! But, I digress, that is another story for another day. Back to the sweet deal of walking the "sound judgment and discernment" path. This sounds like a sweet deal to my simple-minded ways. Oh, but it gets better! He also tells me that if I follow this path, I will "lie down without being afraid, and my sleep will be sweet." Sleep that is not out of pure exhaustion can be sweet (at least that is what I tell myself). Really? I am a skeptic! If a deal sounds too good to be true, don’t trust it! Right? But, this is my Father who is telling me this! He says that He is my confidence. But I am a pretty self-reliant, logical woman with a few degrees and several years of experience. Yet He tells me that my confidence should be in Him, not in myself? My faithful and trustworthy Father who made me, who has sworn to protect me, equips me and teaches me how to do this complicated thing called life. He tells me to STOP! So I take a deep breath, and I am quiet and still, inside and outside. He reminds me that He loves me! He delights in me. He is patient with me when I go off on my own agenda, because He knows I will always return. He knows me well, because He made me, just as I am. I am & always will be broken and in recovery. I am & always will struggle with being too blunt to be socially acceptable. I am & always will struggle with vacillating between being too honest and too quiet. I am & always will be a skeptic of what appears perfect. I am & always will be driven to find a way, when others say, there is no way. I am & always will be unimpressed with social status and authority. I am & always will struggle to understand social cues. I am & always will be in recovery from asking too many questions in pursuit of truth. I am & always will struggle with not fitting in with the majority. Yes, I am messy and broken. I will forget some things. Dinner may get burnt or forgotten. My Christmas gifts may not be exactly as others want them to be. I will likely not get the best deal out there. I will disappoint those around me. But, I know who my Father is! So, for now, I accept that I am incapable of the Christmas juggle. My confidence must come from my Father. Not from myself. Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas! Broken and in recovery…just as I am, M. Diane Pearce Co-Founder of Legacy Strategy, Inc. (For further study, see NIV Proverbs 3:21-26, Zeph. 3:17) |
Legacy Strategy BlogLegacy Strategy, Inc. is a private counseling practice in Kennesaw, Georgia.
Archives
October 2024
Categories |