Dealing with the Damaged

Despite the respectable facades that most people maintain for the benefit of those around them, many are carrying hurts, losses, and regrets that influence their behaviour; which is why people can seem so unpredictable; why they react to even the simplest of things in the most surprising ways. You think you know someone … I mean, you've been dealing with them at work, or in a social setting, or even within your own family for years. Then one day you say something that, on the surface, appears completely innocuous – and they fly off the handle or they close down on you. What in the blazes just happened there? What did I do wrong? I wouldn't have predicted that reaction in a million years. You've been there, right?  You meant them no harm, but they took umbrage in the most unexpected of ways. So, what is going on? Why did that happen? It turns out that unhealed people don't listen with their ears; they listen with their triggers, because: Proverbs 14:10 The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy. (ESV) When someone's dealing with a hurt, a loss, a regret, a failure that is yet unhealed, when they feel emotionally damaged (even though they may not use those words), they feel completely misunderstood. And then, all too often, if they do have a small win, no one wants to celebrate with them. Man, that's a lonely place to be. Now wonder they act out. Who is it in your life who's behaving unpredictably? What can you do to feel their pain, to understand where they're at? Because remember, unhealed people don't listen with their ears; they listen with their triggers. The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy. That's God's Word. Fresh … for you … today.