I think you're right about unhealed wounds, and when you say that the search causes more problems than solutions. I've always felt that it causes more sinful sinful thoughts. No healing seems to come of it.
I'm very much looking forward to reading what you're working on. And keep this firmly in mind, there's at least one person out here who you really have helped. I'm sure there are others. Your impact is real, so may God keep blessing your personal ministry 🙏
So glad that you are well Phil. I was hoping that you weren't having medical issues or something bad like that. I'm happy the Lord has kept you safe and well.
Just a comment on the numbers game. One of the things I like about your account is that you actually engage with people who comment on your posts. Very few accounts do that, especially on X. Not being a large account affords you time to interact thoughtfully commenters. Sometimes something seems like a bad thing, like a lack of views, is precisely how God wants to use you.
Another thing I like about you is how timely you articles are. I was just thinking about how to deal with intrusive emotions. I've tried what a lot of desert fathers have suggested which is simply to ignore them. Thinking about them gives them fuel to burn. This approach sometimes works for me, sometimes it doesn't. But if I stop and answer your question "Are You still here?", I have to admit the answer is usually no. Perhaps I need to turn my eyes upward in addition to trying to ignore the thoughts?
Anyway, thanks for sharing your self-reflection. It's helpful for those of us going through the same temptations.
Jim, thank you for the encouragement and I'm grateful for your concern and your prayers.
On emotions. There's real wisdom in the desert fathers' approach of simply not engaging them, but I think you're onto something when you sense it may not be the answer to every instance. Perhaps alongside turning the eyes upward, I'd suggest also turning them inward to see what those emotions may be revealing.
What I'm discovering is that negative emotions tend to point toward something underneath. It could be an attachment that needs to be uprooted, or a virtue we're still struggling to build. But almost always, they're pointing toward a wound that hasn't fully healed.
Some therapy methods I’ve seen tend to focus on locating the exact moment and cause of that wound, but that's not always possible and sometimes I think that search does more harm than good, especially when it bypasses the deeper spiritual questions. Especially since unaddressed wounds become points of attack for our adversary.
I'm planning to write more on this as we go, because it really is central to the purgative work in these early stages of the interior life.
And timing is always interesting indeed. This topic of emotions came at me unexpectedly from a few different directions lately, and they converged in ways I didn't anticipate. Looking forward to more thoughts and reflections with you.
I think you're right about unhealed wounds, and when you say that the search causes more problems than solutions. I've always felt that it causes more sinful sinful thoughts. No healing seems to come of it.
I'm very much looking forward to reading what you're working on. And keep this firmly in mind, there's at least one person out here who you really have helped. I'm sure there are others. Your impact is real, so may God keep blessing your personal ministry 🙏
So glad that you are well Phil. I was hoping that you weren't having medical issues or something bad like that. I'm happy the Lord has kept you safe and well.
Just a comment on the numbers game. One of the things I like about your account is that you actually engage with people who comment on your posts. Very few accounts do that, especially on X. Not being a large account affords you time to interact thoughtfully commenters. Sometimes something seems like a bad thing, like a lack of views, is precisely how God wants to use you.
Another thing I like about you is how timely you articles are. I was just thinking about how to deal with intrusive emotions. I've tried what a lot of desert fathers have suggested which is simply to ignore them. Thinking about them gives them fuel to burn. This approach sometimes works for me, sometimes it doesn't. But if I stop and answer your question "Are You still here?", I have to admit the answer is usually no. Perhaps I need to turn my eyes upward in addition to trying to ignore the thoughts?
Anyway, thanks for sharing your self-reflection. It's helpful for those of us going through the same temptations.
Jim, thank you for the encouragement and I'm grateful for your concern and your prayers.
On emotions. There's real wisdom in the desert fathers' approach of simply not engaging them, but I think you're onto something when you sense it may not be the answer to every instance. Perhaps alongside turning the eyes upward, I'd suggest also turning them inward to see what those emotions may be revealing.
What I'm discovering is that negative emotions tend to point toward something underneath. It could be an attachment that needs to be uprooted, or a virtue we're still struggling to build. But almost always, they're pointing toward a wound that hasn't fully healed.
Some therapy methods I’ve seen tend to focus on locating the exact moment and cause of that wound, but that's not always possible and sometimes I think that search does more harm than good, especially when it bypasses the deeper spiritual questions. Especially since unaddressed wounds become points of attack for our adversary.
I'm planning to write more on this as we go, because it really is central to the purgative work in these early stages of the interior life.
And timing is always interesting indeed. This topic of emotions came at me unexpectedly from a few different directions lately, and they converged in ways I didn't anticipate. Looking forward to more thoughts and reflections with you.