Seeing The Situation Clearly

I sang “Over the Rainbow” on our FB Live this week. I was in Kansas, and we were chatting about getting unstuck from emotional pain… “Over the Rainbow” is a beautiful song about being stuck and wishing for a change. 🙂 Once I realized that, I changed the last line of the song from 

 

“If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow, 

 

to 

 

“watch me so can I” 

🙂

 

It’s wonderful how small mindset shifts can make a huge difference on choices we make and on how we behave. Discerning whether we are stuck in mud (or emotional pain), or if we are exactly where we need to be, will help us see our situation clearly – and we’ll know how to proceed.

 

—

 

I had a wonderful time presenting a three-day parish mission at Sacred Heart Church in Shawnee, KS. Each day we reflected on a different theme: heal deeper, love more and uplift others – as all three are needed in order to live a purposeful, joy- and grace-filled life. 

 

Then I came home and began my 8-week mentoring session in the prison. We use a wonderful curriculum called “Better Decisions.” The first lesson we go over with our mentees is ‘Seeing the situation clearly.’ I smiled at the timing and connection of all this… 

 

That is why I like to use music in my presentations – it allows us to reflect on what we are talking about. 

 

On the first night I invited audience members to answer the question: “What is one thing you need healed?” I played a few songs allowing them to dig deep. 

 

“We can’t heal what we aren’t aware of,” I said. 

 

“Unless you are a baby or an alien, there is always something that needs healing,” I continued, and everyone chuckled. 

Each day we consume stuff that can harm our bodies (chemicals, pollutants, or even poisonous stuff found in nature). We experience various pleasant and unpleasant emotions, and we are exposed to negative thoughts and energies (hatred, anger, addictions, etc.). We don’t necessarily get sick from any of this – which is why we can argue that we don’t need healing, but…

 

Our bodies have a system of dumping useless and harmful elements out of our bodies, and it sorts out the information our brains picked up (getting rid of useless data) in order to restore the ideal homeostatic state – in which we are (and feel) healthy. 

 

This process tells me that constant healing is a part of being human – because it’s part of our design. So why resist it?

I heard an excellent interview with scientist Matt Walker, who explained how, during sleep, our minds are not interfering (or resisting). Sleep is very important for our bodies to have a chance to be restored. 

 

Another great feature of how we are designed! 

 

We humans certainly heal the best when we surrender our need to control the process that is naturally and divinely available to us! (For example, rest is the best medicine for a common cold or the flu.) 

 

But we still resist when it comes to healing emotional pain. We are convinced that, by holding onto it, we have it ‘under control.’ We know that if we ‘let go,’ it might hurt much worse before it gets better – and so we constantly interfere with the healing process.

 

By trying to control it, we often push the emotional pain so deep inside that after a while we forget it’s there. We are good at ignoring it, numbing it, and distracting ourselves from it. 

 

And often, we treat emotional pain only when it shows up as a physical illness (such as stomach inflammation caused by emotional stress) or a mental disorder (such as depression or anxiety.)

 

So… now is always the best time to ask that question: What is one thing for which I need healing? (And if you observe Lent, it’s a great opportunity to dig deep.)

 

If you have difficulty answering that question, write down your external situation (events, people and places that surround you) and what emotional reactions you have to those. Journaling often helps stuff we pushed inside to resurface.