Tortured Soul

Have you ever wondered how some people have the ability to walk through life so carefree, while others seem so tortured by life most of the time.

If there was a continuum of cafe-free on one end and tortured on the other, I would definitely fall on the tortured side. I find life extremely difficult at times. Relationships, personal struggles, my walk with God all seem to leave me in a tail spin sometimes.

So what causes me and  many other people I know to spend a certain amount of time fighting internally while others don’t seem to have a care in the world?  I think the more I learn about people the more I discover that everyone has their personal struggles and those that say they don’t are probably disconnected from reality and have learned an effective way to block out anything negative.

I’m learning though, that no matter where you find yourself on the tortured continuum, there are things that can be done to feel less tortured in life of which some find easier to practice which allows them to feel more carefree.

I think the first step is to learn to see things through the lens of God’s truth. When hard times come my head often becomes flooded with negative thoughts. I can choose to buy into them or I can choose to test them for their truth. I find that 99.9% of these thoughts aren’t true about me or my situation. So instead of listening to the lies, I’m learning to start speaking things that are true to myself.

Secondly, I recognize my dependence on God and that I live in a world full of trouble and strife, but I belong to “He who has overcome the world”. Truly Christ’s strength is shown in the areas where I’m weak.

Lastly, I seek out some wise and Godly counsel. It helps to have another’s perspective on my situation because often they can help cut through the deception I’m buying into as well.

If you feel like you are a tortured soul, know that you are not alone and there is hope for a happier life, just don’t give up and keep fighting, for freedom could be right around the bend.