Emotional Pain: How do you respond?

Think of a situation that has caused you a great deal of emotional pain. It could be from a situation created from your own choices and decisions, or the actions of someone else whom you had no control over. How did you respond?

• People generally respond to emotional pain by altering (changing) their thinking, feelings and acting in one of three ways.

Moving—Towards, Away, or Against

You can react in one of three ways, TOWARDS, AWAY, or AGAINST, and you react in these three ways with regard to YOURSELF, OTHER PEOPLE, and GOD (or your own understanding of spirituality).

Towards

When you hurt, and move towards the hurt, it is working through your problems in an attempt to solve them. It is reflecting on your problems yourself in an attempt to arrive at a solution. It is talking over your problems with another person or people and obtaining outside support, and it is letting go of your fears and pride and reaching out to the eternal, the spiritual or God (for those who believe in God).

Towards yourself is thinking about the situation, trying to figure out a solution, acknowledging that you hurt, and are unhappy.

Towards others is reaching out to someone else. It is also talking about your problems with a friend or someone else that you trust. It is sharing your pain and there by reducing it, modifying it and letting it go.

Moving towards God is praying that some how and in some way things will get better. It is finding that faith and hope from deep within that you will be ok, because you are worthy as a person and deserve to be loved and to have a good life. Being happy is not the absence of emotional pain in your life, it is learning to grow from it. Because I have hurt deeply in my life, I truly appreciate my life when it is really good.

Away

This is moving away from yourself – by drug use or trying to run away from or hide from your problems. You cannot run away from yourself – even someone who gets drunk or high eventually wakes up or comes down.

Moving away from others, is not dealing with the person or people who are causing you pain. It is allowing someone else to hurt you, and possibly hurt others. It is also moving away from your support system or people who can help you. Ultimately most substance users – end up alone, in their own little world, or feeling like no one can ever understand what you are going through. Sometimes people need to be confronted with the fact that their behavior is hurting other people. So, talking to those who have caused you pain – and telling them how you feel, can only be a good thing. You cannot guarantee how they will respond, but at least you are standing up for yourself.

Moving away from God, is hiding from your own spiritual nature. It is trying to hide from that place where your poetry flows, and you can find peace in your life. Reach out to the eternal – that which is greater than all of us, which we do not understand, but believe that “one day,” we will. 

Against

These are the things that you do to hurt yourself, other people or your relationship with God (your sense of spirituality). Such as: drug use, self-abuse, putting yourself down in your own thoughts, the taking on the lies that someone else might say and believing them. Reject the lies! Believe that you have worth, and that you life is special. Use all the crap that you have been through to turn around and help others. Moving against others, is doing or saying things to hurt others, like stealing, vandalism, etc. Moving against God, is just blaming God or other people for what is going on is your life. No one said life was fair, but that is no reason to feel sorry for yourself for the rest of your life. Do not let your problems hold you back from being the best you can be!

So how do you respond?

Once you have thought about how you tend to respond now… Have you always responded to painful situations in your life this way? Or has you strategy and ability to respond to painful situations changed?

Why is it unhealthy to block out (not deal with) your emotional pain?

The people who can mentally burry things and NOT have it bother them, are often called psychopaths. I worked with one teen boy for nine months, who brutally axe murdered both his parents. Fairly early on, I asked him how he could live with himself – knowing what he had done. With a smile on his face he said: “Simple, I just choose not to think about it.” Guess what I got him to do for the next nine months? Think about it!

If he was to ever rejoin society (even after 11 years. He is out now), he needed to feel remorse for what he had done. He needed to experience the emotional pain in a deep and personal way almost to the level that he had caused his parents (their death). He also needed to get in touch with the earliest pain in his life that drove him to act as he did – and work through that pain.

We are all capable of Helping and Harm

Finally, he needed to see himself as both a victim, and killer, and learn to forgive both himself and others. I believe that he left jail as a sincere born again Christian – dedicating the rest of his life to service work.

The two years I spent specializing in working with teen murders (over a dozen of them), was one of the toughest periods of my life. It was also one of the times where my own spiritual life was most challenged—yet was at its best.

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Who am I?

Who am I?  My name is Anthony Hopkins and I am originally from Dayton, Ohio.  Although this is my hometown, but I have to recite that I have lived here for a period of time.  I lived in the Charlotte, NC area for over 12 years.  Although I am only visiting here trying to resolve issues with my own family, but it appears that these issues will never get resolved.  It is time to move on!!!  It is time for me to get the hell out of this town and move somewhere where people appreciate me for the person that I am.  Anyway, back to the subject at hand, who am I?  I am an honest, truthful, peaceful, kind, respectful, nature loving, and I am concerned about family.  Family is very important to me, especially if you have one of your own.  In my own family of origin, there is a dysfunctional form of behavior that I have to give directly to God.  The so called friends as well as those women that I had been involved in relationships with, I have given all of this to God.  It is God and Jesus Christ that I am totally giving all of these issues to.  It is the Power of Prayer that changes things each day.  Prayer can directly change things for anyone who is willing to give all to God.  I am also intelligent, studious, giving, an animal lover, and one who believe that animals and nature heals people.  Just by spending time outside and allowing the rays of the sun to touch you each day, it has healing benefits.  The environment itself as well as the animals inside of it, has a great deal of benefits.  This is true because it is a whole lot better than relying on medication.  This in itself will heal you to the point that it will sooth your soul.  For those who refuse to understand me personally, nor take the time to fully understand me for the person that I am, it is your fault.  This means that you had an agenda that was already different than mine.  This means that you and I were never on a level playing field anyway.  This applies to anyone as well as those who are literally player haters.  This is the real truth!!!  I am the type of the person who will tell you directly to your face how I feel about you.  No matter whether you like it or not, it is your choice.  If another person’s opinion offends you, then I am really sorry.  I am going to keep it totally real!!!!  I am action minded and concerned about civil rights and liberties.  I am also all about diversity and equality for everyone.  I am also a person who is for women’s rights and the issues that they are concerned about.  This is the truth because if a man respects his parents, then he will respect his female spouse or significant other.  If a man is concerned about children as well as his own siblings, nieces, and nephews, then he is totally concerned about family.  I am very sorry that I have been underestimated as a person, but this is not my fault.  This means that others had been jealous, discontent, and emotionally suppressed themselves.  I am a person that will let everything out of my mouth.  I will tell you how I feel no matter whether others like it or not.  I have always been outspoken, opinionated, but not loquacious.  I am a person who enjoys religious services.  I am also a person who loves and respects culture.  I respect diversity to the utmost!!!  I enjoy reading, writing, using the computer, traveling, and spending time with the one’s that appreciates me fully.  If anyone has a problem with me, I will listen to you directly in your face.  I will also respect your opinion.  I do not like to argue!!!!  I will debate with you in a peaceful manner.  If a debate gets to out of hand, I will shake your hand, and tell you to have a nice day.  I just find that people have never taken the time out to listen to me anyway.  This is not my fault.

 This is the fault of the other person.  This means that you are bearing emotional baggage from your past and present that you are not dealing with in a constructive manner.  This applies to those who live inside of their own deceit.  If you are deceptive and enjoy telling lies all of the time, then I will pray for you, but I have to leave.  I cannot allow a person who has a corrupt way of living to disrupt my lifestyle and my way of living.  I am a private person.  I am also a person who does not take any mess from anyone.  This means that your life is completely disrupted with chaos and disasters.  Your chaos and disasters is something that I am trying to avoid right now.  I am a direct person who will go directly to the source as well as the horse’s mouth to deal with the problem.  Therefore, it is time to keep it real because I am going to tell you how I truly feel.  If women have a problem dealing with someone like me who is direct and straight to the point, then please stay your corrupt self away from me.  I am keeping it real!!!  This is who I am as a real person.  This applies to both men and women who have a tendency to player hate and live inside of the past.  I cannot live your life and mine simultaneously.  Stay true to yourself and learn how to remove your head out of you, body and smell reality!!!!  I am also a very bold person.

Sincerely,

Anthony Hopkins
 

Is It True That We Cannot Be Wise In Your Own Opinions?

By: Anthony Joseph Hopkins

                       Praise The Lord Everyone!! How are all of you doing today?  Fine, I hope.  I want to inform everyone that I have a very important question to ask all of you.  Is it true that we cannot be wise in our own opinions?  This is a very good question because it makes me think about my life itself.  God is good!! All the Time; God is Good!!  I want to tell everyone that we are supposed to be not wise in our own conceit.  What is the definition of the word conceit? 

The definition of the word conceit is excessive pride in oneself.  Expression in writing or speech; an elaborate metaphor.  The word conceit has a whole lot to do with our sense of pride in ourselves.  To be perfectly honest with you, this is the reason why I have to watch my tone of voice that I use towards others.

Next, I want to inform everyone that I have changed my behavior because I know that know that God is watching me every single day of the week.  I know that I have to continue to seek the Lord at all times.  I realize that this year 2019 has been good to me.  Even though, there were a lot of things that have occurred inside of my community, I want to say that God has been with me. 

Finally, I want to inform everyone that I am very content with myself right now.  I am being very careful when it comes to expressing myself to others.  I know that I am still a Work in Progress.  It is that I have to be more humble in speech and in my behavior.  What is the definition of the word humble?  The definition of the word humble is having a having or showing a modest or low estimate of one’s own importance.  This means that I am submitting to a higher authority.  The higher authority that I am referring to is Jesus Christ.  Proverbs 11:12; when pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.  1 Peter 5:5; Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

Dear God, I pray that my mind will always stay fixed on you and I will trust in you completely. Father, may I never pay attention to any distractions that may come my way. Lord I pray that the desires of my heart will always be in sync with who you Are. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Is It True That We are Supposed to Think Before We Act?

        Praise The Lord Everyone!!  I have a very important question to ask all of you.  Is it true that we are supposed to think before we act?  The answer to this question is yes.  I know that all of us have our personal storms that we are going through in our lives.  I realize that my way of thinking has changed for the better.  For Example, I ponder in advance before I do anything in life. 

        Next, I want to inform all of you that I have the Holy Spirit inside of me.  This means that God has all of us in check!!  I am a type of person who is quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger.  This means that I am supposed to hear what the next person is saying.

 I am supposed to wait for the inner voice of the Lord to communicate with me.  I must be slow to speak because I am supposed to think about what the Holy Spirit is saying to me.  However, I am a person who will meditate on my issues in advance before I act out in any way. 

        Further, I want to say that this Bible verse in Proverbs 15:1 makes me really think about some of the situations that I used to be a very angry person inside.  From 1972 until 1990, I used to have a lot of inside anger.  Whereas, right now, I have changed my whole outlook on life.  My personal outlook on life has a lot to do with the plans that God has for me.  I really watch my words a whole lot because I do not want to get into trouble anymore.

        Moreover, are we supposed to think before we act all of the time?  The answer is yes.  I am saying yes because there are certain people who do not think about their actions before acting on them.  I know for me, I am very humble in my spirit.  Do ye not know that your temple is the living God and the Holy Spirit is inside of you?  The Holy Spirit has been inside of me all of my life.  I know that my attitude and my actions are different.  An attitude is a state of mind or a particular feeling. 

        In Addition, I want to say that my life belongs to Jesus Christ right now.  I am saying this because it is Jesus Christ who is doing for me; more than I am doing for myself.   I say that we are supposed to think before we act all of the time.  At least for me, it will keep me out of trouble.  I love the Lord because he has never stopped loving me.  I will admit that I love everyone because all of us are Children of God.  My parents used to tell me to always follow the Lord. 

Also, I want to say that we are always supposed to think before we act because it is God’s Way of slowing all of us down during our personal conflicts.  I know for me personally, I thank Him every single day when I get up in the morning, afternoon, and at night.  1^st Thessalonians 5:17 says Pray without ceasing!!  I pray every single day for deliverance.  I pray for peace, and healing for all people.  I want to inform all of you that God has been blessing me for many years now.  This is because I ask God to reside with me every single day.

        Finally, I want to say that I have to think about the things in the same way that Jesus Christ has done.  I have to imitate the behavior of Our Savior Jesus Christ.  I know that celebrating the New Year is a pagan holiday.  I also know that during the time that before my ancestors were officially free inside of the United States during slavery, the slaves attended church for watch services.  The miracle has happened when President Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves during the Emancipation of Proclaimation Speech on January 1, 1863.  The slaves in certain Southern States were freed.

        In Conclusion, I want to say that my way of thinking has completely changed for the better.  I am very happy that I have Jesus Christ as my Personal Savior right now.  My spirit is overjoyed.  I really have to apologize to my family members for the things that I have done wrong to them.  Do you have to think before you act?  Yes, my way of thinking has changed for the better.  The Lord is on my side right now.  When God is for you, who can be against you?  What is the definition of the word think mean?  The definition of the word think is have a particular opinion, belief, or idea about someone or something. “she thought that nothing would be the same again” direct one’s mind toward someone or something; use one’s mind actively to form connected ideas.

“he was thinking about Colin”

Dear God, I thank you that I truly know who you are, through your Son, Jesus Christ. Lord, I pray that the rest of those who do not know you, will hear of and see your message of goodness. May I be part of those who proclaim the Gospel, always, Lord. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Loving God or The World!!

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  I am writing about a topic of this magnitude makes a person thinks before acting on a particular behavior.  I will admit that I once dwelled inside of the world.  I say this because I was responsible for spending money on sex and unimportant things.  These are the tactics that Satan uses to keep us bound of ourselves and other things.  For Example, I used to spend my money on women and porn for a total of 18 years.  However, I was still bound myself.  An Example of this is doing things without thinking.  For a total of 45 years, I have done things without thinking about them in advanced.  Furthermore, I have not only hurt myself, but others in return.  There are people in my own family that do not trust me.  There are friends that do not trust me as well as I do not trust myself.  I guess I made God very angry with me.

Moreover, I look at the way that society itself is going, and I wonder who can you trust? The Government has signed into law a same sex agenda.  I say this because it has been into existence for 14 years now.  I understand that we all have choices and the decisions that comes behind those choices.  I know that if I were the President of the United States, I would have to modify laws that are frivolous in nature.  This means that I will have to govern in the same way that Jesus Christ would; if He was here right now.  I really hate to say this, but Man himself is going to lead us in a path of destruction.  This is exactly what is going on right now.  Man is using his devices to conquer the world.  An Example of this behavior is what is going on in Ukraine.  Russia is killing off their own people.

Also, I have noticed that there is a great deal of apathy inside of the Continental 48 States.  Some people call it the Lower 48.  When you think about it, it is spreading worldwide.  The definition of the word apathy means that you do not care about people, animals, or even yourself.  It really hurts me because God is watching all of us.  Some people might think that we all have been placed or deemed to a debased State of Mind.  This means that God has given up on mankind.  Is you read Romans 1:28-32nd verse, it talks about a depraved state of mind.  I know that there are people, who have been listening to me write this essay without looking at the Big Picture.  The lower 2% of the population runs the country.  Frankly, there is going to be a divided government.  The Republicans are in charge of the House of Representatives and the Democrats control the Senate.  Therefore, there will be division and debates for the next two years.  At this time, did I make a mistake by voting for a Party that I feel, can run the Country?  I am patiently waiting for The Son of Man to come back and restore things.

I want to say for the record that I have been voting for the Democratic Party for the past 39 years now.  To conclude things, I would like for everyone to please have an open mind. God Bless You All!!  I am not giving up, I am seeking some help from my community at large.  According to the Census, there are almost 141,000 people who live in the city limits of Dayton, Ohio.  The population in Dayton, Ohio is drastically declining due to a lack of resources and jobs.  People are seeking better opportunities elsewhere instead of looking within.  I used to live in Charlotte, NC for 12 years.  I know what it’s like to leave your hometown for better opportunities in another state.  I am here to stay in my hometown of Dayton, Ohio.  I have been back here for going on 13 years now.  As of January 6, 2023 this will be my 13th consecutive year that I have lived here in Dayton, Ohio.  I really love my hometown because it is cheaper to live here than where I came from.  I had to work 3 jobs just to pay bills.  It is not like that in Dayton, Ohio but it is coming soon.  Stay Strong Everyone because God is Coming Back.

The world and it’s desires are passing away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.  1 John 2:17 says this, and I believe it.  As long as we have a positive attitude about everything, we can change the world.  God Bless You All.

Are We Supposed To Watch Our Mouth and Tongue Daily?
By: Anthony Joseph Hopkins

Praise The Lord Everyone!! How are all of you doing today? Fine, I hope. I have a very important question to ask all of you. Are we supposed to watch our mouth and tongue daily? The answer to this question is yes.

This is simply because anytime that a person does something without thinking about it in advance is prone to getting into trouble. I want to inform all of you that I used to have an anger management problem from 1990-2002. This is simply because I had been diagnosed with a mental illness. I was the type of person who was officially diagnosed with a mental illness at the age of 32. I want to inform all of you that my grandmother used to quote this scripture all of the time to me because; I was the person who was very hyperactive as a child.

Next, I want to inform all of you that I grew up in a dysfunctional family household. I know that I am not supposed to dwell on my past, but there is someone who can read my testimony and reconnect with all of their family members and acquire Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. For nine years, I was abused as a child verbally and physically by my stepfather. He was a very aggressive man. I want to inform all of you that he shouted at me on a daily basis. I am mentioning this because it almost got to the point that I almost did not trust myself.

Further, I thank God each and every single day for changing me for the better. Although I did not have a low self-esteem. I want to inform everyone that during the 1970s, I used to get chased home by my so called friends. I will admit that I used to get beaten up by my neighbor across the alley from me; while living inside of an apartment complex in Dayton, Ohio. This went on for 9 consecutive years. I also was exposed to a lot of street related activities as well. I know that I am a brand new creature in Christ Jesus according to 2nd Corinthians 5:17.

Moreover, I want to say that I had to learn how to watch my mouth and tongue as a child because my elders in my family used to correct me very quickly. To be perfectly honest with all of you, I have changed because I have prayed to God on a daily basis to remove my desires to drink alcohol and smoking marijuana. I want to say that I have to give credit to a whole lot of people who prayed for me for so many years that I became successful in life. Are we supposed to watch our mouth and tongue on a daily basis? Yes, we have to give thanks to the Lord for the good and the bad. I am truly grateful for the Lord Jesus for changing me of all of my selfish ways.

Finally, I want to inform everyone that my life has changed because I have selected better people to connect with on a daily basis. I affiliate with members of my Church because I like to assemble with all of the Saints of the Lord. I know that there were times that things have changed for the better because I prayed for it. I praise God for the promise. I will admit that my attitude about life has changed. I had to take anger management classes for 8 years in Charlotte, NC. I also had to apologize to all of my family members for the bad things that I have done to them.

In Conclusion, I want to say that I still need your prayers because my family members do not like my messages regarding the Lord Jesus Christ. I do not understand why my family members are not speaking to me? I do not understand why some of my friends do not understand me as a person. I know that I am not perfect, but I strive for spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection. As long as I have Jesus Christ in my life, I am doing my very best to watch the language that I use. I think before I act. I am more proactive rather than reactive. I am happy to have Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. Thank You for reading my essay!!

Forgive me, merciful Lord, because I have often done things for my own benefit rather than thinking of others. Sometimes I am so selfish that I refuse to help those that need it most because I feel it would take too much of my own time. You have done what you can to help us, we need it most, although you certainly did not have to. Help me to be more like you, O Lord, and have everything I do be acceptable in thy sight. Amen.

Good Evening Everyone!!  I hope your holiday yesterday was good.  I want to inform all of you that my holiday yesterday was peaceful.  I understand that God has sent His Son Jesus Christ to make peace with the world.  He also sent Him as an antoinment for the sins of mankind.  God has been watching all of us for over 2,000 years now.  I know that for myself I am supposed to have gratitude for the next person.  However, it seems like my family members, especially my brother and sisters don’t want peace.  I have to pray to God each day of the week.  My mother told me before she died that the family members are going to challenge me, and in most cases fight me.  Mom told me in advance.  My family members gave me a present that is feasible for a woman.  I have to teach my siblings and their children that a man is supposed to desire something that is going to make him feel appreciated.  I have to accept it.  I can give it back to them.  God Bless You!!