How has life affected what you have become? Here are three possibilities for you to consider:
The Hard Exterior
This person has become hardened by life. It can be hard for them to register emotion and feel what others are feeling. They keep it bottled up inside, the anger mounting day by day until it explodes. Whatever the cause of this personality, it will eventually lead to physical and other problems. Instead of releasing their feelings and dealing with them, they have held them inside so long. This personality type is one of the hardest to reach and help. This person is a controlling-type person, sometimes to the extreme. If things don’t go their way---Watch out!
One way to help this person is to listen to what they say without letting them control the conversation. Ask leading questions over time, and let God heal the hurts that started them on this pathway.
The Victim
This person has been hurt in their life and taken it personally. Each subsequent hurt just keeps adding to the hurt already there. The person may feel the world is out to get them. They may have a whiny type of demeanor and voice pattern. One way you can help this type is to point out blessings in their life. Help them to see the good side of life and put the hurting things into perspective. Yes, they have been hurt for whatever reason, but it is time to lay that aside and let God heal them. Otherwise, the miserableness will continue to climb and happiness will only be a dream.
The Overcomer
This person may have had the same types of hurts happen to them, but they have learned to roll with the punches instead of letting the waves of adversity in life capsize their lives. Look at the life of Christopher Reeves, Superman. He had a promising career then all of a sudden he was dealt a catastrophic blow---paralysis. Yet he became a symbol of perseverance and a good attitude in spite of what happened to him.
We all have things happen to us in varying degrees: epilepsy, divorce, soured relationships, hurts of many kinds, and a bunch of others too numerous to mention. How will we respond? Will we become hard and bitter? Will we become a professional victim, thinking life is out to get us? Or will we trust God to help us through each bump, and know He has a plan for each of our lives, no matter how young or old we are.
The ultimate question is: will I become embittered by what happens to me and blame God and others? Or will I become closer to God because of what happens? The choice you make in this area will determine what kind of life you will lead, and how it will turn out.
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