coping

Good morning!

Coping in life manifests in many different ways. As I observe the behavior of myself and others, it becomes more and more clear that methods of coping are used by everyone but some are effective and others are destructive…or at the very least….distracting.

When you notice behaviors or attitudes that are not appealing or productive, do you attack the behavior or do you look for the root? This is very tricky because sometimes it is easier to attack behavior than it is to go looking for the root of the behavior.

Also, in the present culture, we often see behavior and attitudes magnified in the news or media and our emotions get swept away. However, I think if we could look at all of it differently, we might have more compassion for ourselves and others.

I’ll throw some coping behaviors out here for context but most people know what they use to cope with life, stress, discomfort.  Alcohol, food, social media, shopping, overwork, excessive exercise, hyperfocus on diet, lusts of the flesh, etc. You get the idea. Sometimes it is easy to judge what other people use to cope and be blind to our own. But all the things we use in excess tend to pull us down paths we did not want to go down. 

Rather than attacking behavior, I like to ask God “how do You see this? What is the root here, God?” He never fails to show me that root. If it is my own issue, I get a sense of clarity on how to proceed in a healthier direction. If it is someone else’s behavior or attitude, I gain compassion and understanding and a great deal of peace. 

I like to practice removing certain things from my life at various times to see what boils up to the surface. Maybe it is uncomfortable, but it always provides insight and new revelations….that is if I don’t use a different coping mechanism to distract me from the discomfort! Haha

Most people have some area that they want to work on. Maybe nothing in that list rang true for you. But maybe you are addicted to worry. You cope with uncertainty by going over and over various scenarios in your mind, like the rocking chair, always moving but going nowhere. 

In any area of life, God is faithful to give insight by the Spirit of Truth. We never have to fear what is at the root because He knows what it is and also how to heal it!  

"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Savior, the Holy Spirit of Truth, who will be to you a friend just like me—and he will never leave you. The world won't receive him because they can't see him or know him. But you know him intimately because he remains with you and will live inside you." John 14:16-17 TPT