Brenda’s Blog – July 30, 2024
“Every time I back up, my stomach knots up and I wait for the crunch.”
My friend and I were talking about past experiences which continued to have an emotional hold. She told of backing out of a parking space in a neighborhood mall and nearly being struck by a passing car. Even though no impact occurred the experience still marks her emotional memory.
I shared that I understood because I, too, had a very similar experience driving in one of the many residential alleys in Dallas. It only takes one of those episodes to create a permanent reflex.
“Each time I back up in a busy parking lot, I unconsciously wait for the impact.” It has never repeated, but the instinct remains.
We then expanded the experience to a broader application… Life. Once we have been seriously hurt it affects the way we respond, doesn’t it? Relationships have built-in crunches which always live in our emotional background. Career setbacks make us sensitive to risk-taking. Abused children flinch when a sudden move reminds them of being hit. So many triggers!
We need to undergo the “renewing of our minds” learning to engage in life without holding back while waiting for the crunch. Diligence and wisdom are the new foundations. We can retrain our minds and reframe our emotional reactions to choose healthy caution but denying fear and shrinking back.
May we release the power past crunches have over us redesigning a way of thinking which allows us freedom and joy. We are told in 2 Timothy 1:7 “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” Let’s take a deep breath and rejoice.