Get into Your Feelings!

For those of you who have not read “Get out of Your Feelings”, I encourage you to read that post first. For those of you who have read that post, remember that we talked about being sensitive, three types of sensitivity, and the downfalls of sensitivity. That post was dedicated to speaking on the first downfall of sensitivity which was oversensitivity. This post will be dedicated to speaking on the second downfall of sensitivity which is lack of sensitivity. Remember that lack of sensitivity can potentially lead us to a place of disregarding the emotions and needs of others. Let’s Talk!

Do you have a good heart? Have you ever been taken advantage of? Have you ever shown someone so much love despite their negative behaviors that you arrived at a point of no longer having love or compassion for others? Have you ever been hurt to the point of deciding to disregard the desires and needs of others and “focusing on yourself”? What happened to you that caused you to transform from being that selfless, compassionate person to this selfish, coldhearted person? In most of the above mentioned questions, I could see myself prior to God saving me and healing me. As mentioned in “Everybody Can’t Go”, I loved people more than I loved myself. I can admit that loving the wrong people caused me a tremendous amount of emotional and physical pain. Loving the wrong people pushed me to a point of not caring about people. Loving the wrong people had me doing things that were against my nature. Loving the wrong people made me coldhearted. Loving the wrong people forced me into a place of lack of sensitivity. All of that led to my love and compassion for people, except for my children and patients, to grow cold. I felt emotionally numb and enforced the walls I had built up around my heart in an effort to protect myself. But I knew this wasn’t who I truly was. I knew that the pain and trauma that I had endured throughout my life had transformed me into someone I wasn’t. I knew that I couldn’t heal on my own. I knew that it was going to take God Himself to come to my rescue and save me from myself.

When I began to put forth effort in the process of rededicating my life back to Christ, God gave me a vision. In this vision, God was literally performing heart surgery on me. During the vision, God spoke to me informing me that I had a lot of damage within my heart that He needed to repair before He could use me effectively in His Kingdom. After that vision, I went through so much as God began to reveal those things that I had packed deep into my heart in an attempt to forget them. He started to bring forth childhood traumas that I had been through but never dealt with. He showed me how my adult behaviors were tied to most of those unhealed, childhood traumas. He knocked down those walls I had built up to protect myself from people potentially hurting me again. He showed me things about myself that I didn’t even know were rooted within me. I had taken those things on while dealing with the wrong people and being in the wrong places. That vision literally came to life as God performed the heart repair that saved my life… that saved me from dying in sin… that delievered me out of the pits of hell… that set me free from the chains of bondage and generational curses… that would be the pivotal point of my ascension into a new life led by Him. As God did His work within my heart, He sent a person into my life that gave me hope in people again. This person made me began to trust that people could be good without reason, showed me that I didn’t have to sacrifice any portion of myself to be loved, desired to help me and see me succeed without ulterior motives; but mostly importantly, the person showed me the love of God. God utilized that person as He pulled back every layer of hurt, pain and trauma within me exposing them at the roots. God forced me into being emotion and vulnerable again. God knew that I lacked sensitivity in any form that it came in. He knew that I disregarded my own emotions and needs so the emotions and needs of others definitely did not matter to me. He knew that possessing a lack of sensitivity was not of Him and was leading me into impurity (Ephesians 4:19). He knew all of these things and showed compassion towards me still. During the “surgery”, He remained gentle, forgiving, loving, kind, and patient. Just as He desires for us to do with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Let’s get into the Word! Colossians 3:12 instructs us to put on tenderhearted pity and mercy, a kind feeling, a lowly opinion of ourselves, gentle ways, and patience. Colossians 3:13 instructs us to be gentle, forbearing with one another, forgiving one another even as the Lord freely forgives us. Ephesians 4:32 instructs us to be kind and compassionate towards one another. Galatians 5:22-23 list the fruit of the Spirit which include love, kindness and gentleness. Matthew 25:35-36 reiterates the need for us to be sensitive to the emotions and needs of others. These are not merely encouragements, but they are requirements. God requires us, as His children, to possess the same characteristics as He does through the Holy Spirit. Remember that we were created in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:27). We cannot go throughout our lives hanging on to past traumas and unhealed portions of ourselves. We cannot allow situations, circumstances, or people to change us or cause our perception to shift. We must be sensitive to the emotions and needs of others through the leading of the Holy Spirit. When we are led by the Holy Spirit, we will not find ourselves in places where we are taken advantage of, where we are used, nor where we are abused. I must reiterate the need to be led by the Holy Spirit because if it had not been for His leading, I would still be heartbroken and trauma filled. I would still be bond. I would still be in repetitive cycles. I would still be ineffective in His Kingdom. I would still lack sensitivity. And I most definitely would have pushed that person away that God was utilizing to show me His love and compassion to me.

I encourage you to do a deep dive within yourself on today in an attempt to pinpoint any lack of sensitivity within you. Know that if you do find traces of lack of sensitivity, God is able to uproot any cause and deliver you from anything. Cleave to Him as you search within yourself for He knows you better than you know yourself. Just as God has healed and continues to heal my heart, He can do the same for you and your heart IF you desire for Him to (Psalm 147:3).

Read, dissect and meditate on the above mentioned verses.