Internally Shutter-boxed

Man can sometimes mirror machine. Not only has he the ability to function all day and night; sub-sectioning a vast intake whilst constantly re-charging but he also has the capacity to ‘break down’. Human nature has a way of dismissing that which it does not wish to face. Anything that causes internal conflict or outer uncomfortability can cause us to run like prey as if it were conscious of its predator.

Our life is the arena and we are the centre stage of it. All activity concerning us is present in the centre whilst spectators have their active or passive input. Our mind, will and emotions (soul), heart, spirit and physical being are all part of this centre which is affected by the activities of everyday life.

Situations and circumstances (activities of life) trailed alongside their outcomes form us as a people. Their affects shape and help build us into the people who we become and are today. These outcomes can have vibrant or fatal affects on us. We manifest the outcomes our situations and circumstances internally have on us. How we handle the outcomes begin to flow from us. They manifest behaviours and attitudes.

Our arenas; education, religion, work, economy and finance, politics, relationships- love/ family/ friends, culture and other avenues become infected . The exterior gives insight into the interior. How we handle decisions and choices, confusion, beliefs and doubts, unmet desires, frustrations and anger, discouragement, violence and abuse, etc is key to our internal selves.

At any given time or age these impacts on our heart, soul and physical selves still make us prone to the ability to shut ‘ones-self’ down. Today’s society is no better than the ancestors that have lived  before us and those yet to be birthed in a distant future. Even Adam and Eve hid once they had disobeyed God’s instructions (Genesis 3). Life and its hand dealings still have their impact on us.

The problem occurs when we internalise the problems by not handling them well or maybe not at all. We section off the parts we do not want to face. They become little stacker boxes or locked up crates with keys that can only be found in a treasure hunt. Some shut whilst others open. Internally we can hide in every corner or dark valley available to us that allows us to find shade rather than the light we need. We become masters of masquerading rather than transparent beings.

When we begin to shut down internally rather than be honest and face our Goliath’s (giants or mountains) we have a major problem. Not only will we become distant from our real selves but we begin to die inside.

Proverbs 23:7 “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee” (King James Version).

Regardless of religion or culture the above scriptural principle applies. Whatever you think you are, you become. The only way of outgrowing what we become is in changing our thoughts and emotions through our decisions from the impacts of life. We become better or worse people based on the internal attitude and what we have been told of who we are and who we internally choose to be, leading to our external manifested self.

Life is different for every person, some worse than others but all still damaging in a way to that particular individual, which I think we all can agree on. The best advice is that regardless of what has happened, seek help. Whether it be through religion or counsel; never internally shut down or get addicted to something that will numb the pain of an internal bleed. Do not internally box yourself up into compartments and write on them the wounds of what happened. Dealing with every box is beneficial, hard but beneficial to you being ALIVE internally.

We think that because everything looks ok on the outside that all is fine but if the inside of a man is not living then he is walking dead.

Proverbs 4:23 reading from the New Living Translation version of the Bible reads “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life”.

Your heart is central to who you are. When you stop living from it you begin to feel its affects. Life throws some wicked curve balls at us but we can choose to face them and their percussions or internally shutter box; functioning with the lights off. Find a way to not shut down internally but face who you are becoming or have become internally.

 

 

Let Your Wound Speak

This thought came to me a while back and I wanted to share it with you…

Can you really sew yourself up and expect it to be a good job?

I am not talking about DIY as a specialist work profession, I am talking about spiritual DIY. Trying to fix yourself and in a harmful way.

We all go through things that hurt us; whether it be something someone has said, something a person did or did not do, a disaster or whatever it may be; the problem we have is that we tend to DIY our own patchwork on our wounds. All of a sudden we become these professional surgeons; we see the severity of the wound and suddenly begin operating on ourselves immediately and think that we can do a good job. We forget that different types of wounds require different types of help… more severe wounds needing a stronger touch.

Why do we do this? Is it because it is easier? Do we not trust help if we need it? Are we ashamed? Are we too proud or have become blinded?. There are many reasons why we do what we do but the result becomes dangerous if it is a DIY job. We seem to live in a culture where this has become acceptable. We have put a silent ‘I’ in team. We always think we deal with things but really we do not, the evidence being in the manifestation of our behaviour and attitude. What is on the inside will become visible on the outside, it is just a matter of time.

Sometimes we have to face our wounds and sit with them. Notice I say sit and not stay. We are allowed to acknowledge what people, events and circumstances; what life has done to us and how we are to deal with it. Why is there always a need to acknowledge and DIY straight-away? Why are we not allowed to acknowledge the truth of what has happened; the pain, trauma, the basic collateral damage that has impacted and possibly even infected us?

It is important to acknowledge where you are at rather than patch it up. Deception allows you to be ignorant for a moment but if you have per say become enlightened and choose to act ignorant for whatever reasons, the effects of your DIY will eventually lead to destruction. Sometimes it is hard to face reality because it sucks but is it not better to see a wound for what it is than see it covered up because the cover up is not real and if left untreated could become infected and worse than its original state?

I am not saying you have to go around telling everyone everything that is going on or should just do what you want. We have to learn how to handle what we have been dealt. This is often the hard and tricky part; living it out. Sometimes we get it right and sometimes we get it wrong during this process but it is important to let your wound be opened, cleaned and healed rather than DIY’d; let your wound speak. We all need time to heal and heal differently.

I just want to leave you with this; Have you done a DIY work on yourself? You are known by what you become. Do you see a good fruit or a bad one? If so I suggest you un-wrap that wound, let it bleed and let it heal. Go through a correct process by get it treated before it becomes too late. It will seep out in the end. The heart, soul and mind is much more detrimental to what you become than a self certified DIY and “I got over myself” when really you haven’t. Look after yourself and do not let a bad DIY job be your portion. Choose to become someone different, someone better.