How Our Past Pain Influences Our Present and Future

But Scripture has locked up everything under the control of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

Galatians 3:22

Unrecognized past personal pain may evolve into chronic mental disorders such as states of depression, anxiety, and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder.) Living in a state of chaos, whether real or perceived, places the brain in a red zone of self-defense. Do you feel like no one likes or respects you? How about the feelings that your job is in jeopardy or that someone is trying to take your position away from you? 

If you are continuing to struggle with current behavior or acting out but don’t know why this is the perfect time to put on your God goggles to re-examine your life to see the truth from your past. God isn’t going to judge you for it. 

Once you drop the guarded defense of your behavior and stop making excuses, you will begin to identify particular behaviors that are traceable to a point in the past. Whether that point was decades or weeks ago, it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you have the God-given authority to change that behavior by working to heal what has hurt you. Time to move forward.  

Call To Action 

1. Write out in detail one painful memory from your childhood. 
2. Write out in detail one painful event from adulthood. 
3. Write out how each of these may continue to be present and influence your behavior. 
4. Write out a statement of commitment that releases you from the events and frees you to heal from all remnants of them.