Into the Woods: Brambles

Bramble:  a prickly scrambling wild shrub of the rose family

This is one of our brambles in our woods that we did not have cleared because it provides a screen from the road behind it....

I spent some time, though, cutting out all the dead canes and cleaning up the area.  I have several scratches on my wrist to show for it.  

Brambles are like the things in our past that were not dealt with properly--things we couldn't handle at the time so we either stuffed it all inside ourselves, or simply denied that anything was wrong.  Then things begin to grow wildly until our emotional reaction to things that are happening now get tangled up with the unexpressed/unprocessed emotions from our past. 

I've written my paternal family history going back to the 1700's based on information I've collected over the years from newspapers, documents, diaries, letters, and handed-down stories.  Now I'm writing my story of my childhood.  I'm using my diaries, letters, and memories along with photographs to commit to paper everything I can recall.  No detail is being left out.  If I remember it, it's being written down. As I add photographs to emphasize particular occasions I feel like I'm right back there living something that took place more than 50 years ago....and with it, the emotions.  There were lots of fond memories, like being at my grandparents' farm, but there are also lots of unpleasant and even frightening moments that as a child I could not let myself feel at the time.  If I had, it would have been even more frightening.  

By viewing my life in such an organized way I'm able to untangle the past from the present.  And by allowing myself to feel the feelings I was too afraid to feel as a child, I'm cutting away dead canes and cleaning up that area of my life.  

Scripture tells us that Christ came to set us free from the tangle we've made of our lives because we believed we could go it alone.  He promises to give us His Holy Spirit to guide, protect, and comfort us.  We no longer need to use psychological devices to protect ourselves.  Do not be afraid to feel your feelings as they come.  Then allow yourself to give those feelings to God if you feel overwhelmed by them.  He is there to give you His peace.

Father, thank you for this reminder--that You desire to give us Your peace.

Link to scripture:  Romans 8:2

Take action: Healing Emotional and Psychological Trauma