I had lunch with a friend this week and through our conversation I realized that many of us just bury our past in hopes that it will stay buried and we would never have to deal with it. Unfortunately, it is when we bury things that we find we have less joy and increased anxiety. Just because we bury it doesn't mean that it will stay buried. There have been several times in my life when I have buried stuff, to be strong for others, to forget, or to just avoid dealing with it altogether; however I have found that whenever I do that it comes out at the worst time possible. Then not only am I an emotional wreck but I somehow have to deal with the past then too. It really does not work too well.
Why do we still try to bury our past, our emotions, even when we know that they may not stay buried? I believe it is because we want to escape from the pain that accompanies them. Is there really an escape from the pain or is it just an illusion?
From personal experience you never escape from pain, you just delay the full impact of it for a longer period of time. I will give you a great illustration that may make it all come into focus. A child asks his mom if he can go out to play. Her response is that the child can go out and play as long as they are careful. The child goes out and plays and gets a deep scratch. He hides it from his mom, it hurts a bit but maybe it will go away completely before mom sees it. The child does well hiding it from mom for a bit but it starts to hurt more and more. The wound is starting to fester and become infected. The mom notices and sees the wound and then helps the child deal with it. The rubbing alcohol stings a lot and it hurts to get it bandaged up. Would it have hurt if the child had dealt with it right away? Yes, but not as much as it ended up hurting in the end, and the child also endured hours of ache from it as well. In life we let our wounds fester and get infected and we wonder why it hurts so much by the time we deal with it. Just like the child we try to put on a happy face and act like nothing is wrong but we know that it is there and it bothers us from time to time. We are pretty good at acting like everything is alright. THE LONGER WE LET THINGS STAY BURIED THE MORE PAIN WE WILL FEEL WHEN WE ACTUALLY DEAL WITH IT!
In the end we are only hurting ourselves more by not dealing with it, than if we just dealt with it right away. This is true when it comes to relationships as well. The longer we ignore a problem in a relationship, the worse that problem becomes. My challenge to all of my readers is to examine the things in your life that you are letting fester and attempt to deal with one. I am sure once things start being dealt with in your life, your anxiety levels will decrease. John 10:10 says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Jesus came so that we would have full lives. Lives full of joy and peace, not filled with stress, anxiety, broken relationships. He wants to restore all that Satan has stolen from us and bring us peace.
In the end we are only hurting ourselves more by not dealing with it, than if we just dealt with it right away. This is true when it comes to relationships as well. The longer we ignore a problem in a relationship, the worse that problem becomes. My challenge to all of my readers is to examine the things in your life that you are letting fester and attempt to deal with one. I am sure once things start being dealt with in your life, your anxiety levels will decrease. John 10:10 says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Jesus came so that we would have full lives. Lives full of joy and peace, not filled with stress, anxiety, broken relationships. He wants to restore all that Satan has stolen from us and bring us peace.
