My advice to “Emily” was  to pray this prayer from Matthew 16:19. It was one I had employed on many an occasion, drawing upon the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Scared and in Emotional Pain

September 25, 20**

9/25, 7:37am
Me:
GM Emily, I won’t be on Facebook to talk today, but I will pray for you every time you come to mind. I will see if you leave a message, but I won’t be able to dialogue much. Bless you

9/25, 3:40pm
Emily:
thx for the heads-up this morning

9/25, 3:49pm
Me:
Just checking now. .

9/25, 3:50pm
Emily:
compared to yesterday…today was quite uneventful

9/25, 4:00pm
Me:
Sigh. Whew. You needed it

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September 26, 20**

9/26, 2:18pm
Emily:
Nothing like being stood up by a therapist!
SWEET!

9/26, 2:19pm
Me:
No way!?! How’s it going today?

9/26, 2:20pm
Emily:
Crazy! But knowing I had this appt was getting me thru.
I got a list of other things I need to be doing but made getting help a priority…screw getting help. Not worth additional rejection/abandonment!

9/26, 2:23pm
Me:
Hmmm. I wonder what Plan B should be?

9/26, 2:24pm
Emily:
screw plan b i can’t even get one plan right…not gonna attempt failing at anymore
i left a msg after 5 min, e-mailed after 7 min and texted after 9 min

9/26, 2:27pm
Me:
Maybe you didn’t fail. Maybe you just need someone to give a rip. talk to me. Tell me two or three things that have you in turmoil, that you feel safe in telling me.

9/26, 2:28pm
Emily:
why bother…

9/26, 2:29pm
Me:
Your choice

9/26, 2:30pm
Emily:
just got a text from therapist that something crazy came up for her and she’ll b avail in 15 min…i just wanna cancel. I’ve got a number of other things i need to get done tonight…yard work, log back into work to finish tasks…don’t have time to start 45 min late

9/26, 2:31pm
Me:
Take a moment and ask God. See what He wants you to do. I’m serious. He may want you to cancel and He may not want you to.

9/26, 2:32pm
Emily:
and I’m sure that whatever it was we’ll spend the majority of the time her apologizing/explaining what she can and we won’t accomplish anything worth while in regards to why i even made the appt with her

9/26, 2:33pm
Me:
Not if she’s any good at what she does.

9/26, 2:37pm
Emily:
i just told her to forget it

9/26, 2:40pm
Me:
I challenge you to enter in the spiritual warfare. Tonight pray this. “Father God, bind my thoughts to the mind of Christ, bind my emotions the the Holy Spirit, bind my will to the Father’s will. Loose anything in me that is against you and loose any hold Satan has on me, a prayer based on Matthew 16:19 in the keys to the kingdom passage.
I used to pray this daily to get through the battle for my mind and emotions. It’s a start.

9/26, 2:41pm
Emily:
thx

9/26, 2:52pm
Me:
Welcome. Now go get a Starbucks frappacino.

9/26, 2:55pm
Emily:
ya…no starbucks in the budget for a while…need an oven

9/26, 3:35pm
Me:
I hear ya…

9/26, 4:55pm
Emily:
mowed my lawn….TWICE…once because it needed it and a second time cuz i needed it!

9/26, 4:57pm
Me:
That’s good. You made me laugh!

9/26, 4:57pm
Emily:
glad someones laughing!
that aside…how’s ur anxiety bout this weekend?
does ur lawn need mowing? ROFL!!!!

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 September 27, 20**

9/27, 1:22pm
Me:
I am still praying. Remember to bind your mind, emotions and will to God. Talk to you Sunday night.

9/27, 5:09pm
Emily:
Praying ya thru this weekend (I was speaking for a women’s retreat)

JUST PLAIN SCARED

“I challenge you to enter in the spiritual warfare.,” I said to her, “Tonight pray this, ‘Father God, bind my thoughts to the mind of Christ, bind my emotions the the Holy Spirit, bind my will to the Father’s will. Loose anything in me that is against you and loose any hold Satan has on me,” a prayer loosely based on Matthew 16:19 in the keys to the kingdom passage.

It helps to have a few tools in our toolbox to take care of business when the spiritual life is taking a battering. That is what we all need when problems come at us. There are principles in scripture that act as a resource to help us in the hard times.

The conversation continues.

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LINKS

>next post:  Tears, assault, and its living memory:  Conversations with Emily (8)

<previous post:  Pastor’s daughter, unwed and pregnant:  Conversations with Emily (6)

|<<first post:  A woman at risk:  Conversations with Emily (1)

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