Finding Your Outlets-Part I

The biggest problem I see with many people today is that they have no outlets. No, I am not talking about the receptacles in your home where you plug in your lamps, TV's, phones, etc. I am talking about those "release" points in your life that enable you to function at a higher level. Let me use the acronym E.P.I.C to illustrate the outlets everyone needs to have in their lives. Today's post will deal with the first letter E.

E-This stands for an emotional outlet. Every person walking out there needs one. Ideally, this would be a few people in your life that you could "spill your guts" to. What I mean by this is that there should be people in your life that you can share your raw emotions with without the fear of judgment, ridicule, or opinion. If you are married, your spouse is #1 on this list.

If you can't go to your spouse and openly share your feelings on a wide variety of issues, there is a serious communication problem that needs to be addressed. However, there are some things that your spouse cannot understand and you should seek to process your emotions with a trusted friend. Now, before you start telling me "you should tell your spouse everything," let me expand on this:

As a pastor, there are things I deal with and emotions that I go through that no matter how hard my wife may try to understand, there is a gap. She has not had those experiences to help me process those particular emotions I am going through. To process those parts of my emotions, I go to trusted friends that are in ministry. That is not to say I don't share other aspects of my ministry with my wife. We talk about many things going on and how I am feeling about certain issues. However, there are things that only someone who has walked the same paths that I have can help me with.

Most people are unwilling to have this outlet in their life because they are afraid of truly opening up. They wear their "masks" and hide who they really are. To experience true freedom, you must not fear being yourself. Be the person God made you to be. Find those in your life that can be your emotional outlet. It will give you freedom you never imagined.

Expecting Great Things,
Bryan