Often, unknowingly, people who appear angry, critical and judgemental are doing so as a way to deflect their personal pain and shame. They do so to take the spotlight off of themselves and to keep others from getting too close to peak inside. It’s a defense mechanism. This usually happens when we hold onto an event from the past, allowing it to fester and continue to hurt us. Have you ever been around someone who complains often and seems bitter? Maybe someone you know is oftentimes angry. It’s as if they have a sense of injustice that has taken hold of them and is vacuuming out all the joy in their life. These people look at things through a tainted lens, trying to find fault with someone or something. They can come across critical.
If you or someone you know has an injustice model ruling and ruining their life, perhaps its time to let go of what it is that you are clinging to, causing you to feel as if you haven’t received your piece of the pie. Life is not fair. Many people are mean. But we must carry on and look at everything that is going right, not wrong and rise up and do our part to make this world a better place. What many people need to do is get rid of their rear view mirror. Freedom from the past comes when you realize that the past cannot hurt you. What is hurting you or them is holding your finger on the replay button. Each time you replay some painful event, it’s no different than you hitting yourself with a hot branding iron. Why on goodness earth would you or anyone do that to themselves? In other words, why would you hurt yourself by re-traumatizing yourself?
What causes the injustice program to grow to epic proportions is the blame game. When you blame someone or some event for the way you are, or how your life is turning out, you are simply saying, “Here! I give you my power to do with it as you want. Hurt me. Control my emotions. I am a puppet. I am your slave.” Don’t be a slave to anyone, the least of which should be your emotions. In the Bible, the book of Proverbs, 25:28, the writer states, “Whoever has no rule over his own spirit Is like a city broken down, without walls.” In other words, whoever blames and doesn’t take responsibility for their thoughts, words and emotions is walking around without any boundaries. They aren’t protecting themselves.
Once you leave your parents or guardian’s house, no one can continue to victimize you unless you allow them to. In other words, the battle is inside of you, not outside of you. That is because the containment of all these experiences, negative, repetitive thought programs is your choice.
Is God not sovereign over your life? Is He not your personal savior? If you are stuck acting the part of a victim, not taking responsibility for your life, I think it’s time to confess your bitter heart to the Lord. Ask Him into your life, to forgive you and then get right with your relationship with Him. He will teach you how to grow in faith and grace and let go of all bitterness. He will take you from pain and shame to victory. What you can’t do in your own strength, the Holy Spirit can. But you must invite Him into your life to reign and rule. Those who have an injustice program that they won’t let go of have abdicated the seat of their soul and they are free falling through life, desperate for ways to be free from their hurtful emotions. More importantly, they have walked away from their Christ-like identity. They’ve thrown Jesus off the throne of their lives. If you are a Christian, God forgave you and now it’s time for you to tell yourself you are sorry for harboring so much anger and let it destroy so many good years and maybe even relationships.
While you are licking your wounds and playing the role of the victim, life, like a high speed train, is passing you by.
Only you can come to your own rescue by pointing the finger inward and asking yourself, “What can I do to change things?” Once you realize that each challenging circumstance is an opportunity for you to not just grow, but advance, is when you can go from thinking like a victim to victorious. Only then is real change possible. Instead of internalizing circumstances and asking ‘why me?’ why not ask ‘what?’ What can I learn from the past. How can I glorify God. God can use all things for His glory. Maybe it’s time to take the focus off yourself and use your circumstances to help others.
The bitterness, anger and mistakes that come in the wake of holding on to the past and thinking someone has done you wrong can become life altering – in a bad way. You’re setting yourself up for a personal identity crisis if you aren’t already there.
There is hope for all of us who are at this point in life. The convergence of human action and Divine intervention is what can bring about life changing results. Admitting you need help letting go of some things and then asking for help are the first steps toward freedom. Taking your sins, weaknesses, sorrows and transgressions to the cross and laying them at the feet of Jesus, repenting of your sins, is the next step and the only way to be truly set free. It is the only way to wipe away the guilt and restore the joy in your life. If you think it’s impossible, think again. With the Holy Spirit – the holy helper – anything that once was impossible, becomes possible. He is waiting for you to ask Him for help. It is the reason that Jesus died on the cross. He wants to rescue you from your sinful nature and the weight of your worrisome tendencies and become your personal Savior. See altar call for taking the next step of faith.
If you decide to keep the injustice model alive and well, there is a very good chance it will lead to an insanity program. No one can function optimally if they are blaming and believing they are without the power to create real change in their life. Choosing to get well or stay in bondage is your choice. Either road you choose is a game changer.
