The Aftermath

I went to CPI training today. This training is designed to teach people how to safely deal with children or other people in an anxious, defensive or "acting out" state. A lot of times we think of a crisis situation as only the action part, the building up. However, there is a very important level that can not be overlooked when dealing with such situations and that is the tension release time, "The Aftermath". A boiling pot will never cool down until you release the steam from the pot. Likewise, people can never fully release and get over a problem without being able to release that negative energy building up inside of them and reflect on how they got there.

Besides just the initial release of energy, there has to be a reflection time or evaluation of the situation. I think this is the time in even our own lives that we don't spend that much time on. How often do we reflect on a situation to discover what the little things were that set us off? What is it about our environment that leaves us on edge? What factors contribute to our anxiety and frustration? I think that when we take the time to recognize what it is that "sets children off" or even "sets us off" we can be one step ahead of the things Satan would like to use to trip us up.

Just this past Sunday at church, as soon as praise and worship started frustrating thoughts entered into my mind. At that point I recognized these thoughts were about to push my discouragement buttons because I had dealt with and reflected these type of thoughts before. Satan's plans were to shut me off and prevent me from entering the holy of holies. I've been there before...many times, lately. I was prepared with the truth of God and was quickly able to redirect myself back into worship. This concept can help us with so many areas of our lives. We may not always have another person there for immediate intervention, but praise the Lord, God is always available to intervene on our behalf.