DWELLING WITH GOD
Ponder Anew BY MARY REARICK PAUL All of us have times when we feel forgotten, rejected and/or deeply alone. There may be trauma of loss or betrayal for you in this season. Showing up for anything, including church, is a brave act when you are vulnerable. There is also a distinction (with some potential overlap) of carrying grief and pain and the effects of negative self-talk (what we ponder). Walking the valley of the shadow of death marks all of our lives at some point. The isolation experienced when the grief is especially acute is real. And I pray for God’s strength and provision if this is your journey. There are other times where the negative feelings are not as much connected with trauma as to what thoughts capture our minds. How do we ponder events and words that then inform our sense of self-worth? The source of the negative message can be internal or external. Sorting through the power of these feelings takes some intentional work in prayer, conversations with soul friends, counseling, and more. When our minds and hearts are captured by negative messages, we can be hindered in our experience of God and His calling on our lives. We may be absorbing messages through a broken filter. For example, a person walking by without saying “Hello” can spiral us into negative assumptions regarding what they think about us, how we have no true friends, etc. In addition, our ability to take one mistake and make it a definition of our personhood is remarkable and harmful. We can take negative thoughts and replay them in such a way the message is given a loud, consistent power over our lives. This can distort our hope for the future in ways that direct our paths. Negative messages about our self-worth, whether real or interpretive, are powerful. Positive psychology says it typically takes three positive messages to
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NBUSA Quarterly