What are you seeing and what are you hearing?

15th of February

Right now I am working with people who are suffering with a physical or a mental problem. This is what I am educated for, but I have not forgotten my calling and I will therefore do this only for a few months. We can all make a difference. It is not dependant on people or on place. I work with people coming from different backgrounds and with a variety of problems. Many of them carry a sack with heavy things in it. Only a few call themselves Christians even if most of them are baptized. They do not call on God as their Father and cannot find security in the Word. I often wonder how they manage on their own. Well, the fact is that many don’t.

I work with people with personality disorders and with many other diagnoses. I have contact with approximately fifty people during a week. I am often surprised by the fact that people perceive things in many different ways. That is very interesting, but can also create great problems. I am to-day writing down these thoughts since I daily experience conflicts based on different “hearing and seeing”.

If we show the same picture to one hundred people and ask them what they see, we will get many different answers. It depends on sex, age and cultural background, upbringing, social status and earlier experiences. These are some factors. If the picture shows a female, a man, children and nature, a man is most likely to see a woman before other things. I don’t want to generalize, but it often is so. A mother with a baby, will probably see an infant on the picture first. We see the things that our mind and emotions are involved with. I ask you as a Christian: “What is your mind set on? What occupies your time and emotions?” I am especially writing to those of you who are believers, but it is important for everybody to ask these questions.

I started in my present job since they had a conflict and needed somebody to turn the centre into a good place for those who used it. My energy was used to stop the old conflict and to look ahead. Many had a need to talk about the conflicts in order to be able to continue. I can assure you that I heard many various stories and it was hard to believe that they talked about the same thing. They all saw things through their own personal glasses.

I experience this daily since we have approximately 25 people daily at the centre where I am working. With so many people, we often experience one or the other type of conflict. When I get involved, I hear totally different versions of the same situation. I have even been present in some cases and I am shocked when I hear what they have seen and heard. They have added and taken away and their “truth” and mine is very different. They have come to their conclusions based on old experiences and how they interpret. Hurt people, get easily hurt and they are very vulnerable. One person might laugh and say something in a joking way or even say something in order to encourage the other, but might be totally misunderstood. One might say: “What a nice jacket you have to-day.” The other might say: “Do I usually have an ugly one?” This person is most likely used to be criticized and is skeptical. The normal thing is to say “Thank you.” A person with a low self-esteem might say thank you, but say that this is cheap and is bought on sale.

I have a couple of people with lots of mobbing behind them. They create a lot of problems since they interpret everything in a negative way. They create big problems and make small things grow to very serious problems. We might think nothing of it, but they really think of themselves being mobbed. It is almost impossible to make them see things in a different way.

I know that I to-day write about psychological things, but they are important in all kinds of relationships. Many charismatic Christians might be ignorant about normal human reactions. They might interpret everything as demonic. I do have the gift of discernment and I can say that some have demonic powers or they are under demonic influence, but some of our reactions are natural since we have a past and a heavy bag to carry.

God has given us all the possibility of choosing. Many people forget that and react subconsciously instead of consciously. We avoid making decisions.

MOST PEOPLE WITH A HEAVY BAG, HAVE A TENDENCY TO SEE AND HEAR THE NEGATIVE THINGS OR AT LEAST TO INTERPRET NEGATIVELY. Is this necessary? NO! We all need, Christians as well as non-believers, to become aware of our own reactions and to get new patterns of behavior. In psychology we talk about cognitive treatment. We talk about renewal of our mind. I recently heard a report from a therapy. The nurse said that they used two birds as symbols. One bird was black and one was white. They sat on the person’s shoulder. We, believers, talk about the voice of a demon or the voice of the Holy Spirit.Which voice do I listen to? I am convinced about the fact that the devil wants us to think and react negatively and God wants us to react in a biblical way. God’s ways will always lead to victory.

 

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR WHEN YOU MEET PEOPLE? Many people look with scrutinizing eyes for other people’s faults. That is also within the church. If you find one or two mistakes, you might forget all the good parts of the person. Is this the way to look at your pastor or your spiritual sister or brother? A person who only looks for the negative, is no fun to be around. He creates a bad atmosphere and I get so upset with these people that I really have a desire to fine them, but I can’t. The Bible says that love covers a multitude of sins.

In the Bible it says that we should encourage each other. Don’t you want to be around encouraging people, those who see something bright even in a dark situation? Certainly, we do. Jesus talked positively when others did the opposite.

What are you listening to? Are you giving your ear to slander? God calls it sin. Do you only listen to what is itching in your ears or can you receive a correction? When God corrects us, it is without condemnation. When you listen to the preacher, do you think he talks to the person next to you? When you listen, do you get the whole story or only a small part? We have all heard about one feather becoming five hens.

What are you watching and what do you listen to? If you feed yourself with immorality, crime and empty talk, you will more and more act according to these impulses and more and more move away from Jesus. TV and data are wonderful tools, but they can also kill our spiritual life. Be aware! What we see and hear influence our entire being.

Col.3 says that we should set our mind on the things above. We should think of God and His Kingdom. That gives eternal values. I really feel sorry for those who lack that dimension in their lives.

ACCEPT JESUS INTO YOUR HEART AND LET YOUR INNER MAN BE RENEWED DAY BY DAY!!!!!!

Mother Else