Hot Buttons, part 2
Last time we talked about identifying our triggers and responding to those hot buttons. What next?
Tending to our reactions to those buttons being pushed is important for recovery to functioning but God doesn’t just want us “functioning” and “getting through.” Why is it important for us to deal with these “triggers” in ourselves?
If we don’t tend to these triggers:
We can become a loose cannon
Relationships begin to deteriorate
Rigid thinking begins to hinder the ability for our growth
General “disconnection” begins to lead to apathy, depression, and loneliness
Which begins to lead to a loss of meaning of life, and a replaying of old lies in our head. Lies like, “you are not good enough. You don’t matter. No one cares about you. You can never do anything right” and so on.
John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (ESV)
I cannot live the life God has called me to live when my thoughts act like bombs along my journeys pathway destroying my path.
The song Fear is a Liar, is a good reminder to me that I, myself am NOT Fear. Fear is the enemy who longs to keep us from all of the fruits of the spirits becoming evident in our life!
“He will rob your rest, steal your happiness. Cast your fear in the fire, because fear - He is a Liar.”
As children of God we are called to walk into the painful places. Not to be burned….but to experience Psalm 23. This chapter is not speaking of life without trial, but of the life we can have in the midst of trial. Avoidance actually hinders us too. God wants us going through life and the hardships with Him because these are the places we grow deep roots.
With avoidance, not the answer, there’s this real issue then of what do I do with these things that overwhelm me? Being reactionary to buttons being pushed allows Fear to run the show and we are left to pick up the pieces each time. After a while, we begin looking for ways to get out of the hurt.
1. Learning to calm our bodies in the chaos is critical. Listen to your breathing. Slow it down. Hyperventilating over-oxygenates our bodies that can cause dizziness, weakness and furthers confusion.
2. Learning how to talk to ourselves is imperative. Interestingly, we avoid people who hurt us, but forget to consider that often the most damaging words come from within us! What commentary is running through your mind as you go about your day? Don’t let it go automatic but really take inventory. If it isn’t encouraging you to look for what is good and it doesn’t seek life, it isn’t serving you.
3. Learning to let God's Word lead. Our pasts have a way of entering into the present. Where God is doing a new thing the past keeps showing up. He might be leading me beside still waters but if I’m spending so much energy living in survival, I will forget I’m ALREADY saved! When Fear wants to come close, if we already have habits of reading God's Word and worship is a natural flow from our mouth, those hot buttons just aren’t as hot anymore.
1. Body – Check your engine, become aware of where our body is holding tension.
How: track your sleep, take a 20 minute walk; sit on the porch in the sun and listen to the birds sing
2. Mind – What thoughts are allowed to “headline” in the daily news going on in my mind?
How: keep a journal where you can write thoughts that are trying to hijack your thought life; connect with a life-giving friend
3. Spirit – Feeding our spirit the Word of God, entering into a life of abiding
How: daily Bible reading, meditating on God’s word
In every way we are able to connect the dots in our body, mind, and spirit we adjust the focus lens for the vision we feast our eyes on each day. That’s truly what we are doing for our children in our care. We help them make adjustments as necessary, not in fear, but in wisdom.
With our minds and bodies and spirits lining up together we have a recipe for life in abundance. Not a perfect life…. But the best life God has called us to live. None of us were designed to live without the community of encouragement through fellowship. If you are tired of living reactionary and need help in developing new daily habits we would like to pray with you. If your reactions to hot buttons has hindered your relationships within your family, we'd love to share trust based relational interventions you can use to get back on track at home.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”