TLC Application: Give The Pain to God… No need to wallow in our past

There is a principle that can free us from the trap of living in our pain without forcing us to suppress it: giving the pain to God. By inviting a Power Greater Than Any Human Power into our experience of suffering, we become objective observers of our own past — able to learn from it rather than drown in it.

Emotions Are Waves — They Do Not Last

Sometimes we get into a state where we’re carrying an immense amount of emotion because of the circumstances of our lives. What we must recognize is that feelings must be honored — but we don’t want to wallow in them. This presents a serious dichotomy: how do we allow ourselves to feel and process what we need to feel without falling into a hole of depression?

The riddle is this: how is it that we allow ourselves to feel feelings that we need to process and express without falling into a hole of depression.

First things first: remember that emotions are equivalent to throwing a stone onto the surface of a still pond, which creates waves. Emotions are like waves — they do not last. They are most intense when they arrive in a concentrated way. If you are ever feeling down and in the dumps when you go to bed at night, make a petition with all of your heart to your Creator to be reborn in the morning. In principle, every night when you lay your body down for its nightly rest, you are completely unaware of your body while you sleep — which is a form of death, a temporary release from physical form. When you wake each morning you are, in fact, reborn. Therefore, it is your birthright to be reborn mentally, spiritually, and emotionally each morning. Claim it when you need a brand new perspective.

Being Reborn Each Morning

When you awake in the morning, fully expect to be refreshed and reborn. To fortify this intention, stay away from the concerns that had you in their grip the day before. Whatever happened to bring you to the point where you needed rebirth came from your yesterdays — so give yourself distance from pain-memory for a while.

By making the claim, know that this is a new day and you wish to experience this day exactly as it is — adhering to each moment, seeing each moment for exactly what it is, with no reference to any yesterdays.

One principle that can sustain this desire: be as willing to listen as the dying can be throughout the day. Say very few words when you need to recharge like this. Try to speak as little as possible and stay quiet by listening to everything happening around you. Even the noises throughout the day can bring you back into the present moment. A horn in the background of your environment — don’t just ignore it, listen to it. Conversations nearby — just listen, without judgment. Hear what is beyond what people are actually saying. See if you can sense what is going on in their life in this moment. These little details keep you present.

How to Cry on God’s Shoulder

Now, how to allow yourself to feel the appropriate feelings in regard to the pain you’re in — this is where you cry on God’s shoulder. Take this opportunity to articulate the pain you’re feeling to God, openly and honestly. A prayer like this:

“God, I’m so scared and I know my fear is not normal and I can’t seem to do anything about it. God, I’ve felt so much pain in my life; sometimes I feel like that’s all I’ve ever truly experienced. I am coming to you now to cry and share the pain I’m in. God, sometimes I feel like I’m a victim, like I’ve gotten a lot of bad deals in life. Sometimes I feel like nobody loves me. Sometimes I feel like my family broke me. Sometimes my pain gets so strong that I can’t seem to move. So I am crying now to you, God, to allow this concentrated amount of feelings that are overwhelming me to be fully expressed to you as I shed these tears of pain. I take this time with you to allow all of my sadness to be expressed, and I ask for your embrace, for your comfort, and for your light. I ask you, God, to make me emotionally reborn as I shed these tears — knowing that I have made my full expression of all of the pain I don’t seem to understand. I ask for your help and I offer you my heart and soul. Help me cry in this moment, knowing that you are embracing me.”

Much love,
K.C.