Facing your inner brokenness Pt. 1

I’m sorry.Not because I loved you, but because I’ve never seen the side of me that hurt you before.I guess I always knew it lived in there somewhere, but my self-righteous past made me believe it would never grow into something anyone else could see or feel.I didn’t just hurt you you know, but you and someone(s) I really care about….and myself.And now I’m walking into a place where my greatest desire is to love, and I’m looking around the room seeing people I need to dodge.What was once a family reuinion now looks like tip toeing around a minefield of hearts-some of which I planted myself.It makes you ask the question, “What happened?”And I guess if you stay somewhere long enough the lines of hurt start to tangle around places you frequent like subway lines, but I like to hope those one day become veins of forgiveness.It’s a hard thing for a man to become collateral to another man’s sin.But I’ve watched this play out more clearly now than ever, and it really is a testament to the urgent words in Ephesians 6 that we only seem to bring up when trying to pat down a problem we don’t fully understand-The words that say, we aren’t at war with each other, but with the roaming, hungry spirits.You can’t damage control sin, and this is why that living scripture is both a warning sign and an ointment for black eyes after the fall out.What better way for the darkest side to gain strength, not by killing us, but by turning us against one another. By smearing our names in the sand with the tongues of what we thought were safe people.What better way for evil to distract us through lingering stares and bitter regrets."I'm sorry." feels like a child's weapon against the darkness, but use what you have.****Challenge TimeI've been reading a book called "Renovation of the Heart" and in it the author writes:It is common today to hear Christians talk of their 'brokenness," But when you listen closely, you may discover that they are talking about their wounds, the things they have suffered, not about the evil that is in them.I know I know, you're thinking Emily, why must you always bring the hammer on my perfectly nice day? Well because I truly believe, a new freedom comes when we look in the mirror not with shame but with brave honesty. When we can stand before the darkness inside of us, it loses a little more power to hurt others, and that my friends is a victory.What do you need to face today? (Either with yourself or with someone else)Read Pt. 2 here.