The Breakdow1- slide notes

The Breakdown

“Preach the gospel at all times – if necessary – use words.” -  St. Augustine

The following emotions are common in the breakdown:

q       Helplessness

q       Don’t know who to call for help

q       Fear of being taken advantage of

q       Vulnerability

q       Anyone looked good – (Neighbor Link)

What are people looking for when they are broken down?

q       Assurance that everything is headed in a restorative direction.

q       Want to be known by someone who can give provide direction.

q       Movement.

How do people break down?

q       They make unwise decisions and then come to the end of their rope.

q       They reach the end of their own resources.

q       They fail to nurture themselves properly.  Misbelief in being indispensable.

q       Trying to meet God-sized needs (transformation) in human strength.

Why don’t we stop?

q       Danger/unknown – No one ever said it better than C. S. Lewis: To love at all is to be vulnerable.  Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken.  If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness.  But in that casket -- safe, dark, motionless, airless -- it will change.  It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable....  The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers of love... is Hell.

q       Fear of personal inadequacy – I can’t do anything for this person.  There are tragedies that face people and rather than risk saying something that sounds stupid we remain silent.

q       Continued responsibility -  Don’t want to get into anything that we can’t get out of.

q       Personal cost –

q       Too hurried/busy -

The majority of people in life will “pass by”.

The Ministry Of Presence

Exercise the Ministry of Presence:

·         Be fully present.

·         Don't underestimate the importance of the moment.

·         Don't "fix it."

·               Listen.

·         Keep on caring.

·         Keep up your strength.

·         Don't give up.

·         Enlist help.

·         Keep in contact.