Windshield Woes

I took a spin in my daughter's new (to her) car. In Lithuania for the summer, she hadn't even seen it yet. Rock flew up. Chipped the windshield. We'd put less than 100 miles on it. Sigh. A couple days previous, some pipes had fallen from a storage shelf in the garage above her car. Made some nice dings in the roof. Sigh.

Sometimes I am amazed - and frustrated - by how quickly things can go wrong. Probably no harder time for me to claim God's peace. When my pity-party tapes start playing, what do I do to respond and change my dirty rotten attitude?

1. I journal. I'm an extrovert and putting words to thoughts helps untangle my thoughts, and my feelings. Whether I talk it out or write it out, I find the confusion fades and the certainty of my faith in God's goodness and power grows. I often write to God rather than just record thoughts - a written prayer - as if I'm writing him a letter. It helps.
2. I have collected a list of "buttons." Things that push my buttons disproportionally more than they should. Losing control. Feeling abandoned. (That's a story in itself.) Responding to anger and disapproval. And 8 or 10 more. If I'm playing my pity tapes, I will sometimes review this list and it helps me identify why I'm struggling - what the core lie may be.
3. I go to favorite passages that speak to the subject, my feelings, or my core lies. I believe certain verses are particularly empowered by the Spirit to divide my soul and spirit and judge the thoughts and attitudes of my heart. So I like to return to those places. They often comfront my core lies and comfort my core fears, especially when I have identified which lie/fear is operative.

It all comes down to preparing myself to let the Word and the Spirit speak to my soul. These things have helped me do that.


Ultimately, I need to know:

• What my core lies are...
• What are the symptoms when I'm living in them...
• What's the core truths I need to confront my lies with...
• And how do I most effectively apply those truths to my lies?

How about you? What helps you identify core lies and their symptoms? How do you apply your core truths to the lies?