34:18 Ministries

This!!!

Emotions are a part of how God made us. They’re in many ways primal. We need them to survive. They alert us to threats in our environment. They help us become compassionate, brave, light-bearing people.

Emotions can also mislead us. They don’t always “interpret” the data we’re receiving correctly. They are influenced by trauma, memories, and other aspects of our personal history.

That’s why it’s so important to learn to understand & care for your emotions, not “bypass” them. In order to lead yourself with God’s help, you have to pay attention.

This doesn’t mean you suddenly act out of every emotion you feel. In fact, it’s the opposite. It takes patience to notice what you feel and seek to understand it. It’s a practice you develop over time, a practice that is vital for your emotional & spiritual health. It’s key to caring for yourself and leading others well.

Here’s what that practice looks like:

1. Notice what you’re feeling today.
2. Get curious about it. “I wonder why I’m feeling that way.” (No judgment.)
3. Name it.
4. Invite God INTO what you are experiencing (vs. praying it away.)
5. Consider speaking on behalf of it with someone you trust in order to unpack it.

If you have a backlog of pain, you’ll want to first work through this practice with a counselor. When emotions show up for the very first time, they can get big. So, you’ll want to have someone there to help you.

But the beauty of this work is this: as you grow in your ability to understand your emotions, you gain so much confidence and clarity.
You learn how to honor your emotions without acting out of them.
You learn to make wise decisions on behalf of what you need.
You learn to lead yourself & others in partnership with God.


Edited to add: let’s move TOWARD emotional maturity, and AWAY from the spiritual bypassing column!

This is SO TRUE! And it has been a very hard lesson for me to learn, tbh 😬😅

Hurting but still hoping. Love that!

Oftentimes, being human means being in a place of hurting but still hoping.

Hoping doesn’t mean we ignore reality. No, hoping means we acknowledge reality in the very same breath that we acknowledge God’s sovereignty.

I know your heart might be desperately hurting right now, but don’t give up hope, sweet friend.

Let me be the one to lean in and whisper words to you that I’ve learned to cling to myself: “God is working things out. He’s not far away. He is right here with us. We need to cling to this hope. Believe this hope. Live out this hope. Right here and right now. Even if our prayers aren’t answered in the way and the timing we want. Even when this process feels messy. We will trust that God is good.”

‼️‼️‼️

Your name is EZER! 🖤

He was born so He could live and die and raise again. What beauty we can celebrate this weekend!

“Put yourself in Mary’s shoes for a second: you’ve just given birth to a baby. You’ve been told-- through an angel-- that the baby will great and the baby is someone many have been waiting for. And then this man, who knows exactly who your baby is, interjects the moment of blessing the baby to tell you: you are going to feel the pain of this. Your baby is going to lose his life when he grows older to serve as a miracle sign to many.” -HB
mary + her story is one i hold so closely. she knew who He would be + she held the weight of the world in her arms. mary knew all along the miracle + the pain + the sorrow + the joy that would come from the baby she carried. struggle and joy. the greatest miracles the world has ever known contain both.

A helpful guide as Easter approaches!!

Be good to each other 🖤

This is my simple song of worship today:

God, I look to You.
I won't be overwhelmed.
Give me vision to see things like You do.
God, I look to You.
You're where my help comes from.
Give me wisdom.
You know just what to do.

And I will love You, Lord, my strength.
And I will love You, Lord, my shield.
And I will love You, Lord, my rock.

Forever.
All my days.
I will love you, God.

Hallelujah, our God reigns.

🖤🌻🧺💐🌿

Ooof. This one hits a little close to home for me!

When someone’s toxic behaviors hurt you, cause you distress, harm your well-being, or evoke a negative emotional response — that’s natural. Responding positively (or even neutrally) to someone’s toxicity is not easy. It can be done, but it takes a LOT of work, a LOT self-control, and a LOT of spiritual grounding. (In fact, it’s something I’ve been working very intentionally on!! It’s hard, y’all!)

If someone triggers you with their toxic behavior, then turns around and tries to convince you that your negative reaction to their abuse “the real problem,” there is a problem. That’s a red flag. That’s gaslighting. Someone resenting your negative reaction to their toxic behavior is a sign that something inside them needs fixing. Something that you aren’t able to fix for them.

Now if you lash out at someone, even if you’re provoked, I believe it’s your responsibility to take ownership of that behavior and repent accordingly. You cannot control anyone but yourself, but that means you are responsible for the actions you take.

If someone hurts you and you respond by hurting them back, you are responsible for the damage you’ve done. But they are also responsible for the damage they’ve done. If they don’t own their part, their actions, their behaviors — but rather focus all their attention on the way you reacted to them, guilt-trip you for not being able to “take it,” belittle you for not handling it better, talk down on you for responding emotionally — that is a PROBLEM, sis.

Protect your heart. Protect your mind. Protect your soul. Refuse that type of abuse. Cut off those toxic relationships. Enforce the boundaries that keep good in and bad out. Learn how not to respond to provocation. People like that don’t help you stay mentally healthy.

🖤

This morning’s simple prayer to the Lord — how can you use me?

I have a million things in my mind, a million dreams, a million ideas, a million words. I have so many desires to do so many things. But I also have pain to sort through and truths to understand and healing to do. I have a baby to raise and a house to manage and a marriage to care for. I have bills to pay and Bible study to catch up on and laundry to fold. I am overwhelmed.

So this morning, in the quiet time I spend with the Lord before I fill my coffee cup or wake my daughter or start on the day’s many chores, I laid this out for him and was left with one main question. “How can you use me?”

I can rejoice knowing he can use whatever I give him. He can use in all of it, if I’ll just unclench my fists and hand it to him. He can even use the unglamorous and mundane moments of motherhood and housework.

Praise the Lamb.