THE PLAYGROUND OF ANXIETY
Hurt feelings. Yep, it happens. Someone says something about you or you get an email and the words fly at you with accusation and condemnation as you read. In the end, you are left with hurt feelings; wondering how in the world this person could be so mean? As the rest of your day drags on, you are distracted by the words you have read. You begin to rehearse over and over what you want to say to your accuser. You constantly review your actions to see if you have done anything to deserve this. Nighttime comes and you toss and turn, still giving thought to the hurt that lingers in your heart. The day turns into weeks of sleepless nights. Tell me the truth, you have been there, right?
Lingering hurts create playgrounds for Satan. Oh, he loves to get you on a merry-go-round of anxiety and distraction. Until you address the hurt and shut down the playground, the evil one will continue to push you round and round, faster and faster. He will use the anxiety created by the hurt to advance to anger and division and eventually hate. How, exactly, do you shut down the playground of anxiety that has been created? Jesus tells us in Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” So, what does this mean? How far do I have to go to be able to live at peace with someone? In Matthew 5:23-26 Jesus conveys to us the urgency of going and meeting with the one who has something against you; to be reconciled with him/her. In Matthew 18:23 we are told, “If your brother (or sister) has something against you (has sinned against you), you are to go and meet with him and tell him/her of their fault, between you and him/her alone.” When we do go, we are not to go with the intention of injuring him/her or to take vengeance upon him/her, to accumulate more strength for your grudge. If there is no reconciliation after meeting alone, then you bring someone else in. I will say that when you do this, make sure this someone is one who can give good Biblical counsel and definitely one who is neutral in the dispute. A teammate of negativity will only make things worse.
I know it is not easy coming face to face with one who has wounded you, but not doing it has far worse-reaching effects that ripple out to those around you. This is why God urges us to do this quickly. The sooner we go to face the one accusing, the less time the enemy has to ramp up our emotions. The enemy does not want you to reconcile so he will do all he can to keep you from taking that step. He will play with your thoughts and emotions to turn up the heat of your anxiety. Pray, my friends, pray hard before you step forward. You can only control your actions so ask God to help you maintain self-control. Ask Him to guide you in your discussions.
If after all of this, the other person refuses reconciliation, then you must release it; let it go into God’s hands. Commit to pray for this person and let God take care of the rest. When you have done everything as far as it is up to you to do, and you release it to God, then, the playground closes and peace will return to your heart. Friends, don’t let the hurts linger. Address them quickly and shut the playground of the enemy down, before you are spinning too fast to get off the merry-go-round of anxiety.