R – When You Feel Raw {26 Surprising Ways to Encounter God, A-Z}
“The strongest love is the love that can demonstrate its fragility.”
– Paulo Coelho
R—Raw
When have you felt raw? Overly sensitive. Jumpy. Thin-skinned.
I admit; with politics right now, I’m a little touchy.
Perhaps you’ve had or are in a season of feeling vulnerable, too.
- Maybe you’ve been hurt in a relationship.
- Or had a church experience go bad.
- Or are questioning where God is in your circumstance.
Regardless of the reason, we all relate to times we’ve felt tender or exposed.
How can God use these times to pull us closer to him?
Try This
Think of an area in your life where you feel extra touchy.
- How would you feel if you could see a year down the road, and know all will be well?
- Would your current responses be different if you stripped away any defensive postures?
- What would it take for you to feel safe again?
- Can you be more patient with yourself as you heal?
Pray for God to sit with you in your rawness. He knows your circumstance and your heart better than you do. Be as compassionate to yourself as he is to you.
Allow his love to surround your tender emotions and strengthen you with his protection today.
Then do the same tomorrow.
Learn More
- The Art of Vulnerability
How to open up when the world tells you to retreat - Learning to Grieve—Together
What the church can learn from Jewish mourning traditions - Brené Brown: How Vulnerability Holds the Key to Emotional Intimacy
And shame sabotages our desire for closeness.
* * *
What is a touchy subject for you right now? Please share in the comments.
Coming up tomorrow:
- S – Sickness
Where is God in our sickness?
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- Q – Questions to God {26 Surprising Ways to Encounter God, A-Z}
- S – Sickness and God {26 Surprising Ways to Encounter God, A-Z}
Loved the tenderness in your words here today, Lisa … we’ve all been wounded somewhere along the line.
And the tender places? Yeah, they remain …
Grace, grace to ourselves and each other.
I know you’ve had lots of tender places in the past year and a half, Linda, with all you’ve been through. Not easy things. Yes, grace to ourselves and to each other….
My goodness – this post goes in a hundred different directions, all of them so redemptive. I’m trying to learn not to rub against the raw edges of others in my life. And your words on politics bear serious consideration in these ragged pre-election days.
You add another level to this, Michele—don’t rub against others’ raw edges. Great insight. We need to not only be aware of our own tender spots, but also grace-filled towards those sensitive spots in others. Thanks for sharing.
This is a much needed reminder for me right now! When my emotions run wild, I find myself feeling very raw and responding in ways that I wish I didn’t. I definitely need to allow His love to strengthen me today. So glad I visited today from Grace & Truth.
I’m glad you visited today too, Nicole. I know many of us would agree with you that we also respond in ways we wish we didn’t when we’re feeling extra-sensitive. If only we could have do-overs maybe one full day a week. 🙂
Lisa, I do not sense rawness right now in my life. I have struggles physically and with a sister, but both seem small compared to what I would label raw, for me. As Michele above says, I do not want to rub other people in any way that will bring their rawness out or their judgment or their frustrations with so much that surrounds us today. I guess that could be said vice versa…I do not want them rubbing me to get me agitated. I pray that I can stay smooth and quiet and calm.
I sense you are a very gentle woman most all the time, Linda. I’d love to know you in “real” life.
Your comment reminds me that, when possible, we need to be responsible for ourselves to not let others get us agitated. I’ve found one way for me to not get as agitated this political season is to watch what I read. I do try to stay abreast of all sides of the issues, but I don’t have to read all the biased comments that are out there.
Yes we need to be compassionate with ourselves. I think our sorrows help us to be compassionate to others in the future. Everything teaches us something we can use later.
My husband was making that point to me just today as I was whining about an undiagnosed irritant; he said God can use it later. And in the meantime, I need to be more compassionate with myself as well. Thanks for your gentle wisdom, Beverley. Always good.
Waiting can be such hard work. I hope everything works out alright x
Thank you, Beverley. On one hand I want to get my hopes up that at least one of my undiagnosed things will be discovered, but another part of me says, don’t do it. Just accept things as they are. Sigh.
Mine only got discovered after a fall down stairs and when the Dr’s had run out of things they could cure.
Hmm…I wonder how often discoveries are made like that, one unexpected thing leading to another.