Safe Mode

Do you replay conversations over in your head? I do, all the time. And I bet if you’re reading this today, you’ve pressed the rewind button a few times yourself.

Usually it’s the conversations that hurt my feelings, cause me to feel insecure or make me mad that I repeat. Like the Aunt who says, “Boy you’ve gained weight! They must feed you well in college.” Sadly I've been out of college for a FEW YEARS and I still remember that! UGH. Or it might be the friend who says, “You can’t do that. You wouldn’t be good at it.” I’ll spend hours trying to “spin” the playback into what I should have said to get back at the other person or how I could have presented myself differently for the outcome I wanted. The problem is they’ve moved on and I’m the one spinning around and around and getting nowhere. I begin to question my self-worth and my abilities.

Recently my computer had the nerve to do this to me. It’s a machine for goodness sakes. However, it decided to not respond the way I wanted it to. I was in the middle of working, typing away and it froze! All of a sudden the keyboard stopped working, the screen turned blue and then these words appeared, “...beginning dump of physical memory.” Seriously, I thought to myself, this cannot be good! I panicked and desperately tried to figure out how to stop it. Eventually I realized that something in one of the links that was loading was tainted, maybe even corrupt. My computer automatically recognized it and in order to maintain the integrity of my work went into a “safe mode.”

Don’t you wish we could do that? When someone hurts our feelings, says something that scars us, or an old painful memory comes back, why can’t we just “dump it”, and go into a “safe mode”. For me, dumping the words isn’t easy. Sometimes every part of me would like to just battle it out. That’s not healthy, and mostly it’s just my stinking pride. But I have figured out ways to go into a safe mode and not do the old drill of rewind, play, rewind, play. My safe mode is found in my relationship with Jesus Christ and knowing who He says I am.

Today if you’re struggling with letting go of some hurtful conversations, find a Bible and look up these verses. Try committing them to memory and replaying them in your head. Your safe mode will quickly become knowing the truth of who you are in Christ.

You were created by God–Psalm 139:13 “Oh yes, you shaped me first inside then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb.” MSG

You are loved by God-Jeremiah 31:3 ‘God told them, “I’ve never quit loving you and never will. Expect love, love and more love.” MSG

You are forgiven-Colossians 1:14 “God has purchased our freedom with his blood and has forgiven all our sins.” NLT