Replies

1. Love God

2. Believe God

3. Trust God

I’m not trying to be ornery, obtuse or obnoxious.

I just know that many times I’ve screamed HOW, LORD?

I certainly know others who feel that way.

HOW does one ‘force’ one’s self to Love or Love more;

Believe, or believe more?

Trust or trust more?

PARTICULARLY when one’s whole being has been TRAINED, CONDITIONED, HAMMERED intensely for 18+ years to think, feel, do the opposite?

You had a loving mother who modeled such very powerfully and effectively. Perhaps you’ve never had a shred of ATTACHMENT DISORDER. Perhaps you’ve never had a shred of existential angst, doubts, fears, etc.

I know many, including myself, who cannot recall such a wonderful childhood or life in such terms.

I don’t have any significant problem trusting God’s word AS GOD’S WORD. Certainly intellectually I can affirm that God and His Word are TRUSTWORTHY.

HOW does one get the intellectual assent to the Scripture down fully in their heart/ whole being/ spirit/ bone marrow etc? That can be a desperately felt yearning for many of us at many points in our lives.

Attachment Disorder has literally resulted in our brains being permanently damaged in such areas as emotional trusting; relationship trusting etc. That’s not an easy thing to overcome. One doesn’t just snap one’s fingers and jump over that line.

So what CAN one functionally, actively do toward fulfilling your exhortation?

Thank you so much for your encouragements and for your inquiry, though truly I am not credentialed to answer questions about psychological problems.

All I can contribute is in reference to this:

HOW does one ‘force’ one’s self to Love or Love more;

Forcing will not work much like covering one's ears, closing one's eyes, humming, jumping up and down thinking "I believe" will not work.

The best a person can do, IMHO, is to be aware of when he is being self-absorbed and consciously stop thinking about himself and instead think about Who God IS.