All of us have experienced tremendous emotional pain at some point in our lives. It can be from rejection, or loss, or disappointment. Perhaps we had expectations, hopes, aspirations that never came to fruition. I can remember thinking at one time, “Life wasn’t supposed to happen like this, this isn’t how I pictured my life would be.” I can remember having plans of who I wanted to be when I grew up. I thought I had it all figured out and knew how to accomplish these goals. But let me tell you, life seems to have a will of it’s own. I realize now that I have little or no control over what happens in my life. This has forced me to go deeper into my relationship with the One who is in control…God. I have searched His Word and found Him to be quite wonderful in His ways. He is able to be trusted, completely true, loving, kind, gentle…yet firm. I have started to collect verses I find in Scripture where God defines Himself. None of us likes to be misunderstood. I believe God wants us to know who He really is, not who we think He is.
Psalm 116:1-2, 5-7
I love the Lord, because He hears My voice and my supplications.
2 Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.
5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate.
6 The Lord preserves the simple; I was brought low, and He saved me.
7 Return to your rest, O my soul, For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
God is the only one who has the right to define Himself. He has taken me on a long and fruitful journey of discovery into who He is. One of His qualities is forgiveness. Jesus speaks on forgiveness often.
Matthew 18: 21-22 21 “Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus *said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”
I have found when I choose to forgive people, that doesn’t necessarily relieve me of all the pain that was involved in the wrongdoing. I can be what is called, “triggered,” so unexpectedly sometimes. This happened to me just the other day. I was sent into a tailspin of emotion that just really threw me off and brought up stuff from my past, I thought I had dealt with. Well, I had dealt with it. I needed to reiterate the fact that I had forgiven the wrongs done, and just renew my commitment to forgive again. I asked God to help me understand what had triggered me, and help me find the way to deal with this. He woke me up at about 1:30 this morning with this concept in my head…Phantom pains
“Phantom pain is pain that feels like it’s coming from a body part that’s no longer there.”
“For some people, phantom pain gets better over time without treatment. For others, managing phantom pain can be challenging.”
“A number of other factors are believed to contribute to phantom pain, including damaged nerve endings, scar tissue at the site of the amputation and the physical memory of pre-amputation pain in the affected area.” (The Mayo Clinic staff)
God is showing me that just because I am triggered with the emotions, I need not yield to them. I can choose to run to Him with these, “triggers,” and He can calm my soul, my spirit and my body. I can walk in wholeness, no matter what has been done by me, or to me; I must choose to subject these things to God.
James 4:6-8
6 “But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
I was struck by the words, “damaged nerve endings, and scar tissue at the site,” in the definition of what causes phantom pains. When I am triggered, I must allow God to bring further healing, grace and peace, to those affected areas. I have scars, emotional scars. We all do, none of us escapes this life unscathed. But neither do any of us have to live the rest of our lives damaged, broken, or incomplete. Christ has covered it all. When He cried out, “It is finished,” He meant it. So let us run to Him when we are triggered and we experience, “phantom pains,” from our past. He alone has to healing balm to calm our ravaged souls. Run to Him, in your time of need, when you are triggered, as I was just the other day. You will find that as you cry out to Him, He will “put the finger,” on the area of “Phantom pain,” in your life and bring healing, life and wholeness. Come to Jesus today, with all that is hurting you. He tells us…
Matthew 11:27-29
27 “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
hisshadowings.com 
EVERY MORNING I PRAY – EXODUS 34 – VERSES 5 AND 6 —‘I AM THE LORD, THE LORD GOD, MERCIFUL AND GRACIOUS. SLOW TO ANGER – ABOUNDING IN STEADFAST LOVE, TRUTH, FAITHFULLNESS. I FORGIVE SIN, INQUITY AND TRANSGRESSIONS – BUT I DO NOT CLEAR THE GUILTY.
HE IS FULL OF MERCY AND GRACE —-SLOW TO ANGER.
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