Had an early coaching client this morning. What came out of our session is so powerful. All of us hurt at one time or another. We don’t like to feel pain and will do almost anything to avoid it.
But let’s look for a moment at what pain is. Pain is a warning mechanism that God has put within us. For example, if you touch something hot, you’ll feel pain and learn to not touch something hot again. Pain in our body reflects something that isn’t working properly.
Emotional pain is no different. Sometimes it warns us or teaches us to make correct choices. Other times there was nothing we could do to avoid being hurt because it was someone’s choice to hurt us or a direct result of life’s circumstances.
Because of places where we have experienced pain, we often build walls to protect ourselves emotionally not wanting to feel the hurt again. Sometimes we are not even aware of them, yet these subconscious places can affect our lives at many different levels.
The question is not “How do I avoid pain?” It’s “How do I embrace it?” Instead of feeling weakened by pain, if we embrace it we’ll be empowered.
When we embrace pain, we are able to mourn the loss of whatever has caused the hurt. We find power to forgive, love again, and move forward. We replace a victim mentality with a victory dance.
The first step is to take the situation to God. It’s also helpful to work through your loss with a coach, counselor, pastor, or trusted friend.
Psalms 30:10,11 says:(my paraphrase) Hear me Lord. Give me mercy and grace. Be my help! You’ve turned my mourning to dancing. You’ve replaced my dark and tattered clothes (my grieving soul and spirit) with garments of gladness.
What pain or grief in your life do you need to move beyond?
Whatever loss you have experienced in life, I hope you’ve moved beyond it’s control over you. If not, I hope you’ll receive God’s gift of the Dance of Gladness!