Coming unglued seems to be an epidemic …
I can’t begin to count all the times I’ve been unglued…
When she wrote with Sharpie all over her arms and legs. Twice.
When we spent a lot of money on his orthodontics and he didn’t “want” to wear his retainer.
When she failed to follow through and it greatly inconvenienced me.
And when he accused me of being selfish and only thinking of myself, which of course would never be the case, right?
And I’m guessing it’s the same for you too!
Becoming unglued are times when our emotions are raw and our reactions are faster than our minds can think through them.
And you know what inevitably happens?
We get ourselves in a whole lot of trouble.
We feel bad and have regrets.
We wonder, “Why did I ever say that at all?!?”
Our reactions reduce us to broken relationships, requiring apologies to repair.
And we begin to doubt we’ll ever get it right.
And because of all that, I can’t be more excited to be studying Lysa TerKeurst’s new book Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions with you all!
Because I need help in this area, and I’m thinking you might too! Amen?
As we dive into this journey, let’s realize right off the bat, we will fail. We will.
But as we do, God gives us grace and He has no desire for us to have self-condemnation. Our growth and progress has to have a beginning, and now is as good a time as any to start.
“Our goal isn’t to be perfect; that’s not realistic. Our goal is to make progress—imperfect progress wrapped in grace.” ~Lysa TerKeurst
This week we’ll be diving into Lesson 1 in the participant’s guide, and reading Chapters 1 and 2 in the book.
We’ll begin to learn that although our feelings aren’t wrong, they are meant to indicate where we are, not dictate what we do.
So this week our goal will be to keep a log of our raw reactions—to recognize when those raw emotions surface, so we can know our trigger areas and be aware of our beginning point. Because after all, how can we begin to make imperfect progress, unless we become aware of our most triggering situations?
As you identify your raw emotions this week, keep a log answering the following questions:
When you experienced raw emotions…
With whom were you interacting?
What was your physical and emotional state before the event?
What happened that prompted your raw reaction?
And how did you actually react?
As we begin to see where we’re vulnerable, we’ll be better equipped to begin our journey of imperfect progress, one reaction at a time.
What could be better progress than that?
What are you hoping to learn from Unglued?
What situation or circumstance finds you most Unglued?
Now it’s your turn!
Tracie and I would love to have you link-up your reflections and thoughts about our study of Unglued … and don’t forget to visit each other with lots of comment love!
And if you don’t blog, leave your thoughts in the comments!
Let’s (in)courage one another with hope!!
Ready. Set. Go!
I tried to link up…but it’s not showing…
I fixed it 🙂
I hope to learn from Unglued how to “respond” better in any situation or circumstance I encounter. Especially with one very close family member.
Identifying my raw emotions this week is a challenge for me, but your post has (in)couraged me to do so…..also giving me hope from chapter one when Lysa says; “There will be tender mercies for the raw emotions.” and “God gave me emotions so I could experience life, not destroy it.”
I hope to learn from Unglued how to not be so stuck by the labels I place on myself so that way I do not so easily become unglued on others who really just need compassion.
Yes, Melanie…it IS a challenge to identify them, because if I identify them, I’m responsible for them, no longer in denial. And this, THIS is hard work, but the beginning of the imperfect progress we’re longing for…we’re in this together!!
Ah yes…to see through their irritating and annoying behavior and instead see through to their hurt and give compassion instead…THAT is the goal. Beautiful thoughts Hannah!!
Jacque,
I meant to comment when I read this a couple of days ago, but my computer froze – talk about becoming unglued! I just remembered being on your site and wanted to jump back into the discussion. I would love to read this book. Any suggestion as to how to deal with tremendous stress that makes us feel or even become “unglued” is welcome!
What leads me to become unglued? It’s when circumstances combine to create a tidal wave of stress. Homeschooling, supporting my husband as works so hard to run three small businesses in this economy, gas prices!, grocery prices!, elderly parents, health issues… It all adds up. Usually I am able to handle life with some measure of grace, but some days the weight feels too much to carry. So thankful for a spouse and a close group of friends who are committed to carrying one another’s burdens.
Thank you for bringing this book to my attention. I admire how gracefully and honestly you manage your life.
Bless you,
Laura