Identity - Reframing Your Life 2

My little barnwood village is becoming snowed in. Seven inches of snow in Nampa yesterday.

Continuing our study of "reframing" our life. Roadblocks standing in the way of reframing are:
1. Ignorance – not seeing what needs change. Not able to see what needs reframing. It's called "Denial."
Remedy: pray Psalm 139:23-24 "Search me O God...."

2. Comfortably “diseased” – sometimes living in dysfunction is more comfortble than working through all the challenges for needed growth
Remedy: face the regrets of no growth / change


3. Unwillingness to change/grow – laziness, passive aggressiveness, rebellion
Remedy: To help determine if this is an issue for you, Arterburn suggests asking these self-evaluation questions:
a, How frequently do I admit I was wrong?
b. How frequently do I ask for forgivenesss?
c. How frequently do I ask people for their opinion?
d. Do I ever admit I have been approaching some problems or even my whole life in unhealthy ways?
e. Am I willing to admit I might need some help to move beyond the way my life is currently going?
f. Have I ever said, “You knew I was this way when your married me”?
g. Do people tell me, or do I feel I have a strong need to always be right?
h. Do I stop listening to people who try to get me to see things in a different way?
i. Am I a “it’s my way or the highway” kind of person?
These qustions help evaluate willingness to see things from another’s perspective.

4. Arrogant entitlement
To help evaluate this dynamic, consider these items:
“I deserve this.”
“I have some very special needs.”
“I am in a crisis, and at least I could have this one thing.”
“It realy isn’t betrayal because I really do still love him and he won’t ever
know.”
“It reallys isn’t that bad because I know I won’t go all the way.”
“He really let me down, wasn’t there for me, so he created this.”
“I know I won’t give in to temptation, so I can just flirt with this a little bit.”
“Anyone in my situation would do the exact same thing.”
“She felt entitled to her affair, so I am entitled to make her pay for it the rest of her life.”
“I am not fully responsible because I am an addict.”
Remedy: see the destructiveness of pride and humble yourself before the Lord
See the destructiveness of a self-centered life and repent in word and action.

5. Justifiable resentment
Remedy: work through the forgiving process


6. Disconnected Isolation
Remedy: Life is easier when isolated – but lonlier and emptier.



Road blocks that avert the healthy reframing process must be blasted open. More tomorrow!