"REED," and "The Norm."

Yesterday, I texted my sisters to tell them my aunt had been sick. One of my sisters responded back with an angry text and the other one didn't respond back at all.

So, I decided today to practice "REED" with the emotions that were conjured up by what happened yesterday.

REED is an acronym that stands for Recognize, Express, Evaluate , and Decide.

Recognize- I felt angry and hurt

Express- I wrote a letter to God telling Him how hurt and angry I was about what happened. I poured my heart out and didn't edit my words. Then, I thanked Him that I can approach His throne of grace anytime to receive grace and mercy in my time of need.

Evaluate ( This is where you write down what thought and beliefs underlie the emotions you are feeling)-
"I want to do something to retaliate."
"I can't trust God to take care of this."
"I need to protect myself."
"Humility is synonymous with weakness."

Decide ( This is where you decide to replace your erroneous thinking with God's truth)-
I wrote a letter thanking God that I have the mind of Christ. I thanked Him that He empowered me to respond to Allison's angry text with kindness ( something that I would not have done in the past). I told God that I am choosing to believe Him, and take all my thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ.

When I was doing my Bible study this morning, something that stood out to me is what the author refers to as "the norm."
She says this, "God has given all believers the grace to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives. This is the norm. It is normal and natural to do what is right for yourself physically and to be moderate and godly in your behavior.
"Meeting your needs in your own way is a definition of the "flesh," and living in the flesh is a departure from what is normal for a Christian. Living in the Spirit is the norm for 'new creations in Christ'. The Spirit indwells us  and brings forth fruit in our lives. One of the fruits listed in Galatians 5:22-23 is self-control. Unlike what many of us believe it is not normal for the Christian to be out of control regarding food and eating."

This was very illuminating. I have always thought that living a life of moderation and self-control was not the norm, and something that I had to fight to achieve. However, for the Christian, moderation and self-control is the norm.
When I live a life that lacks control, that is in direct contradiction to my new nature. However when I practice control and moderation that is a manifestation of my new identity in Christ.

Because I have struggled with food addiction almost my whole life, I assumed that that's what's normal. In reality, self-control and moderation is what's normal and natural for the believer.