Behind Our Sunday Smiles: Blind - Living Free - October 21

Behind Our Sunday Smiles: Blind

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Living Free Every Day®
A ministry of LivingFree.org

Today's Scripture
"These liars have lied so well and for so long that they've lost their capacity for truth." 1 Timothy 4:2 MSG

Thoughts for Today
One danger of prolonged delusion—failing to acknowledge the problems of a loved one or our own struggles and feelings—is that our feelings become numb. We come to believe our own lies. At this point, we are blind to the problems. Others see our struggles, but we don't.

Healing cannot come until we reach the point of choosing to acknowledge the problems, the struggles, the fears and guilt—whether they belong to our loved one … or us … or both.

Consider this …
Have you denied your problem to the point that you stopped seeing it? Are you ready to acknowledge it? To face it and deal with it? To ask for help? To seek God's forgiveness and guidance?

Recognizing the feelings that might have become numb can be an important step toward dealing with them. And once you begin to know your feelings, the next step is to learn how to appropriately express them to the significant people in your life. Tomorrow we will talk about expressing your feelings with "I-messages" and "you-messages."

Prayer …
Father, I lied to myself so long that I became blind to these problems. My eyes are beginning to open. Help me deal with my feelings and learn to express them to you and to others.
In Jesus' name …

These thoughts were drawn from … Concerned Persons: Because We Need Each Other by Jimmy Ray Lee, D.Min. This group is designed for the many people who have a current or past relationship with a person who has a life-controlling problem.

• It emphasizes the need we all have for each other.
• It helps people focus on Christ rather than on the problem.
• It serves as a powerful evangelistic tool by providing a way to minister to people's felt needs and then pointing them to Christ.
  
  

Note: This curriculum was written especially for small groups, and we encourage people to use it that way. However, it can also be used effectively as a study for individuals or couples.

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