I think I was like that when I was little — it took me a long time to realize that some people really didn’t like me or wanted to hurt me, particularly schoolmates, and some others. I think that’s one reason I’m equally introverted and extroverted — I was too outward at first, then too inward, and have been working on figuring out good boundaries.

We show a good amount of insight when we are able to stop and ask ourselves, is this me or him/her? Am I taking this wrong or is the person wrong? Is this wrong out of malice or out of human error? Sometimes we have to dig deeper into a matter to know how to react. We are all only human, capable of both good and bad, being such we sometimes have to take a look at the who, what, when, where and why to figure out how to respond. Doing so shows growth and is indicative of a good heart condition.

smiles to you and yours,
Austin

I think “deny yourself” just means different things to different people. It can mean sometimes making sacrifices of one’s desires for the sake of someone else, which is good. But to some of us it feels instead like denying your Self — your very being, your identity, your personality. And that is bad and wrong. God created us as selves. We are most fully ourselves when we are clinging closest to him, but we never ever lose our selves in him.

It’s funny how we’re all so different in our interests and understandings and baggage and problems. I so totally WANT to lose myself in the LORD! As a matter of fact, I was watching something the other day, and the coversation was about denying yourself being bad or wrong or something… and that makes me picture this society of people responding to their every urge and living in anarchy! LOL! I guess when I think of the saints throughout history, they denied themselves sooo much as they pursued holiness, to be able to achieve the incredible works they did, etc. I so wanna be that! and I’m very frustrated when/that I’m not…. (((((HUGS))))) sandi