3:201 – Are You Hypervigilant for Neighbor?

#faithbites #faithjourney hypervigalant

My brother and I were talking this afternoon about traits we have in common. A big one is how we are emotionally tuned into people. It helps us understand how they are feeling and let’s us try to seek the underlying reasons of why someone acts the way they do. He used the term, hypervigalant emotional, which I had never heard of before.

Being emotionally hypervigalant means you are constantly aware of people’s emotions even if you aren’t trying to. Sometimes it helps and sometimes it hurts as you may not be able to help them.

What does this all mean? Understanding where someone comes from helps us to know them. When we know them, we can better love them.

God wants us to be aware of others feelings and emotions so we can help them along the way. Are you aware of others emotions?

Scripture

• Romans 12:15 – Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.
• Proverbs 3:27 – Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.
• Proverbs 10:12 – Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs

Reflection

Emotional intelligence is another way to describe what we are talking about understanding how your actions impact others and how their actions impacts you. Hypervigalant is taking that to the next level.

What are we going to do to make sure that we are feeling and listening to what is said and not said. Beyond that, what is felt and not felt

Many people act a certain way or believe a certain thing because of how they are feeling. If we rail against the action without understanding the feeling we hit a brick wall. At the same time, we may also be ruining our relationship with that person.

It’s not easy to know how someone is feeling if they don’t tell you. Some people, like me have their emotions on their sleeves while others are like a blank page.

Let us try to live in peace,listening to each other, sharing our emotions and feelings so that we can work together in harmony.

Challenge

Try to connect with another person on an emotional level. Here is an easy way to do it. Look at someone’s actions and try to figure out why they feel that way. Do it with kindness and look beyond what they are saying and try to see how they are feeling. You may not agree with them on the action, but you may find common ground once you understand the feeling behind the action

Prayer

Lord Jesus, we thank you for making us all different. We think, act, believe, and feel differently. Even though we are different, we can love and live in peace. Help us to be hypervigalant in loving you and loving our neighbors. Give us the words and tools to understand why someone feels what they are feeling and help us love them. Let us find common ground on an emotional level so that we can build a relationship on you rather than one on assumptions. This isn’t easy but we know with your love and guidance, we will succeed. Thank you Jesus. In your name, Amen.