Quotes about Denial

The Lord judgeth not as man judgeth; better to be cast out of the church than to deny Christ.

Sometimes macho language is to mask things people are not ready to deal with.

Ignoring our emotions is turning our back on reality; listening to our emotions ushers us into reality. And reality is where we meet God … Emotions are the language of the soul. They are the cry that gives the heart a voice … However, we often turn a deaf ear — through emotional denial, distortion, or disengagement. We strain out anything disturbing in order to gain tenuous control of our inner world. We are frightened and ashamed of what leaks into our consciousness.

We numb our pain through denial, blaming, rationalizations, addictions, and avoidance.

We view conflict as a sign that something is wrong, so we do whatever we can to avoid it. We prefer to ignore difficult issues and settle for a false peace, hoping our difficulties will somehow disappear on their own. They don't.

When we deny our pain, losses, and feelings year after year, we become less and less human.

Using God to run from God Ignoring anger, sadness, and fear Dying to the wrong things Denying the impact of the past on the

the result of denying and minimizing our wounds over many years is that we become less and less human, empty Christian shells with painted smiley faces.

To feel is to be human. To minimize or deny what we feel is a distortion of what it means to be image bearers of God. To the degree that we are unable to express our emotions, we remain impaired in our ability to love God, others, and ourselves well. Why? Because our feelings are a component of what it means to be made in the image of God. To cut them out of our spirituality is to slice off an essential part of our humanity.

In short order, here are the top ten symptoms of emotionally unhealthy spirituality: Using God to run from God Ignoring anger, sadness, and fear Dying to the wrong things Denying the impact of the past on the present Dividing life into "secular" and "sacred" compartments Doing for God instead of being with God Spiritualizing away conflict Covering over brokenness, weakness, and failure Living without limits Judging other people's spiritual journey

To feel is to be human. To minimize or deny what we feel is a distortion of what it means to be image bearers of God. To the degree that we are unable to express our emotions, we remain impaired in our ability to love God, others, and ourselves well.

If I murmur in the least at affliction, if I am in any way uncharitable, if I revenge my own case, if I do anything purely to please myself or omit anything because it is a great denial, if I trust myself, if I take any praise for any good which Christ does by me, or if I am in any way proud, I shall act as my own and not God's.