My Thoughts

A few weeks ago, I started this entry on shaming.  Listening to both Melanie and Kaitlyn talk about being shamed by others, I knew their complaints so well.  Most of my life I have lived with shaming. I think it's easier maybe if you were just stoned publicly for crimes instead of been ridiculed verbally. The damage done to a person for years of manipulation makes one feel inadequate.  Shaming is such a horrible thing to do to others. I found this article: Shame is at the root of low self-esteem. People who feel shame feel bad about who they are. This differs from feelings of guilt, which are related to thoughts, feelings, and actions. Those who experience the pain of shame have negative erroneous beliefs about their inherent abilities and worth. Large doses of unhealthy guilt can cause one to feel shame and its negative effects. Social abilities are impeded when one feels burdened by shame. A person may have a pattern of avoiding social interactions, which can...

I had not intended to do much blogging today, but then I read the daily blog on Women of Faith and I just had to take time to at least outline ((save the concept)) things I have wanted to say about forgiveness. I had a very long catchup talk with a second cousin of mine a couple of days ago. I thought I was dialing my nephew and got her instead, and it was a very amazing misdial. There are issues in our family about abuse, and for whatever reason that God paired us for that hour long talk, we both spoke about forgiveness. I learned some valuable lessons from my cousin.......mainly, that although I feel I have forgiven others, I somehow continue to blame and have not forgiven myself. **I will expand on this later.** -----------------------------------------------**** Update 6/7/14 The irony of this post from 3 1/2 years ago is that I had no idea the levels of abuse and forgiveness that would wind into my family's story in 2010.  So many things have chang...

Ever hear the expression "selective hearing"? I am sure everyone has. It is true. We can selectively hear things. We each have that awesome power. What you choose to hear has a lot to do with the information you are inputting into your brain. Somehow, you have to hear only the truth. Part of this is attached to your eyes as well. It is not good enough to close the eyes during a commercial if you leave the volume up. Probably the hardest part for me is to hear only positive comments about myself. Ephesians 6: 10 - 18 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. An officer I worked with at Brownwood PD provided me these examples on how to withstand the attempts of the enemy to undermine us. Each day, I have to visualize myself, like a policeman, putting on all my def...