Sometimes I feel emotionally stuck: questioning things happening to and around me, hurt lingering in my heart, worry or insecurity controlling my thoughts. I have a hard time rationally sorting through these emotions to find the truth about myself and my life. I am camping out with these emotions, letting them stay with me instead of giving them to God.
I know there really is no use camping out with these feelings, but it can be really hard to move on from them. It can be confusing and messy and uncomfortable. But it is so important to do in order to grow into the person God wants you to be. God knows your heart. He knows what you are going through, and if God brought you to it, He will bring you through it (Isaiah 58:11). God helps us handle what we are given. He helps us move past these negative emotions.
We cannot choose what happens to us or other people’s actions, but we can choose how we respond. It seems cliché to say because it is something that we have all heard before, but maybe it is cliché because it is true. We can choose to give these feelings to God. We can choose to let go. We can choose to create boundaries. We can choose to forgive and give others the benefit of the doubt.
It is by no means easy to do these things, but as Christians we all have a tool to do so: faith. But faith is not automatic, it is a choice, something we have to work at. We have to choose to seek God, trust in His love for us, and believe what His word says He will do. When you give your questions, hurt, worries, insecurities to God and push them to the back of your mind, you are taking a stand against them. You are choosing to keep believing in God, His goodness, and His plan for your life. You are keeping your heart and mind on Him. You are camping out with God.
Psalm 27:13-14 “I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”