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Collateral Damage

 


    Do you ever find yourself unable to turn your brain off at night, to play and replay events, conversations, hurts, perceived betrayals and even possible resolutions?  When you wake, if you ever managed to turn it off and sleep, do you wake with a heaviness?  

    The reality right now is that we're living in a time where there are many uncertainties.  Between Covid-19 and political unrest it already feels insurmountable.  Let's add in the everyday life stresses, our kids, their educational challenges,  maybe a family member's health, a pet that's nearing the end of their life, stressed relationships,  battling anxiety,  job security or  feelings of being overwhelmed.  We all have something that plays on a loop in our mind, something we think we can fix, control or do better at.  Somewhere in there, if we give these things too much space to live, is self-doubt.  When that takes root it can spiral and cause devastation in its wake.  

    We can become collateral damage,  not only in the destruction our own negative thoughts create but in the growth and heart transformation of our friends and loved ones.  If you're too close to the blast when it happens you can feel like you were somehow involved in what is really their hurt, their growth and their reality that they need to fix.  This can cause you to feel like you played a part in something that was never about you.  

    When you find yourself in the heaviness step back and evaluate what's yours and what's not.  Whatever is yours hand  over to our ever-faithful Lord and Savior.  And what isn't yours, release it to its owner.  Pray for them in these times, ask God to transform their hearts, for only He knows their inner working and what they are battling with.  

    But understand, just because you were someone else's collateral damage, doesn't mean you have to be damaged.  See it, know it and wait for them to work their stuff out.  As much as it hurt, and as much time as you spent thinking you had a hand in it...you didn't, you were just too close to the blast when the timer stopped ticking.  

Don't manifest in your mind what was never your issue, but someone else's.  Hear this, people will try to make it about you to avoid their own insecurities, hurts and unhappiness.  Don't give it real estate in your mind!!  Don't let someone else's personal explosion bury you!  

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