Hello beloved child of God, how are you?
As for me, I’m fine by God’s grace.
Did you do yesterday’s exercise to know your problematic life-lenses? I did it. It was really really messy for me. I discovered stuff about myself, I cried (ugly-crying) but it was worth it.
If you’ve not done this exercise yet, please make sure you do it. Here’s the link.
Today, we’re going further into the topic of life-lenses, and we’re going to explain how life-lenses work.
You remember I told you earlier that your life-lenses will determine the way you interpret events in your life, your thoughts and your emotions right?
We’re going to look at an example.
Examples: How Life-Lenses Work
Paul, Lucas and Thomas are good friends and neighbors. All three have wives who are the same age and best friends. One evening, their wives are late coming home. Paul, Lucas and Thomas have very different reactions. See how life-lenses influence how the husbands interpret this identical event and respond to their wives.
Paul has a guilty and blameworthy life-lens. He feels like he’s done something wrong, even when it’s not his fault. The table below shows Paul’s influence of life-lenses.
Event: My wife is 30 minutes late getting home.
| Life-Lens & Definition | Thoughts | Feelings |
| Guilty and blameworthy:
I worry about whether I’ve done the wrong thing |
I must be a terrible husband; otherwise my wife would be home on time | Sad and depressed |
Lucas has an over-control life-lens. He likes to be in charge and feels uncomfortable when others challenge his authority. The table below shows Lucas’ influence of life-lenses.
Event: My wife is 30 minutes late getting home.
| Life-Lens & Definition | Thoughts | Feelings |
| Over-control: I like to be in control of everyone and everything | How dare she be late? I’m her husband, she had better respect me and do what I say. | Anger |
Thomas’ major life-lens is abandonment-fearful. He worries that the people he cares about will leave him and needs frequent reassurance that he’s loved. The table below shows Thomas’ influence of life-lenses.
Event: My wife is 30 minutes late getting home.
| Life-Lens & Definition | Thoughts | Feelings |
| Abandonment-fearful: I worry about losing people I care about; I don’t think I could stand it if I lost someone close to me. | Oh no, she’s probably had an accident. She might be hurt. I couldn’t go on if I lost her. | Fear and anxiety |
These three examples show you how life-lenses influence people’s thoughts and feelings.
It’s now your turn to fill out one of those tables about how life-lenses influence your perception.
Exercise: The Influence Of My Life-Lenses
- When events happen and you notice distressing feelings, write the event down. The event can be something happening in your world or something that runs through your mind(a thought). Whatever it is try to be specific.
- In the middle column, write down the thoughts or interpretations you have about the event. Describe how you perceive or think about the event.
- In the right-hand column, write down any feelings you have about the event.
- Review yesterday’s exercise on Problematic Life-Lenses and think about which life-lens fits your thoughts and feelings best and
write that in the left-hand column. You may discover that more than one lens applies. Make sure to include a brief definition of the life-lens. - Reflect on what this exercise tells you about your problematic
emotions and where they come from.
| Life-Lens & Definition | Thoughts | Feelings |
| ? | ? | ? |
Do so not just with one life event but with many of those. Don’t limit yourself to today. Through out the week and whenever an event makes you feel uneasy, write it down, analyse it and find out through which life-lens(es) you’re interpreting it.
We’re still in the process of learning about life-lenses. We’re not yet in the process of learning how to replace them and to renew our mind, but we’re starting just with knowing them, being aware of them, because when you know what’s working against you, it’s easier to devise strategies to win agaisnt it.
John 8:32 NIV
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Prayer
Father Lord God Almighty, I struggle with __________ life-lens(es) {Fill the blank space for example abandonment-fearful, unworthy etc} . Please Lord help me recognize when these life-lenses are poisoning my thoughts and help me look up to You in such situations, in Jesus Christ’s Name. Amen.
It’s Now Your Turn
Please leave a comment if this series on depression has been helping you this far and let us know how it’s been helping you.
Your home work today again is to invite someone whom you know will greatly benefit from learning how to identify their life-lenses and how to renew their mind.
Don’t forget to share this blog post on your social media accounts and to invite your friends and family members to join us as we’re waging war against depression. You may save a life by sharing.
If you’ve not done it yet, subscribe to my Newsletter so as not to miss any post on depression and also, make sure to invite anyone whom you know is suffering from depression.
Click here to subscribe to my Newsletter.
Also, please consider sharing this blog post on all your social media accounts.
Invitation
Click here if you’re looking for a church. I recommend Elevation Church to you. A wonderful Christ-centered Church in which you aren’t limited by your location and in which you can see what God can do through you.
If you’ve enjoyed reading this blog post please subscribe to my Newsletter so as not to miss any new post.
Also, please consider sharing this blog post on all your social media accounts.
God bless you
Victoria Eyog
0 Comments