Gaslight is Ancient

Gaslighting is not a new thing. It’s a human thing. Listen to what the prophet Jeremiah wrote down - a message from God - that is over 2600 years old:

They dress the wound of my people
    as though it were not serious.
‘Peace, peace,’ they say,
    when there is no peace. - Jeremiah 6:14

Do you even wonder why people try to cover over our wounds and try to sell us a simplistic peace? It might be helpful to approach this first by looking in the mirror.

When do we overlook other people’s pain - and what are the reasons we do it? Go ahead and take an honest look inside and see what you find there. Consider your best motives (“I’m already committed to carrying the pain of some other people right now so it wouldn’t be health for me or for them for me to attempt to carry their pain too”). Consider your not so great motives (“I don’t like them” or “If look too honestly at this situation I may realize I’m partially to blame, and that won’t do!”).

What do we do with these thoughts and motivations in ourselves? What should we do with them in others?

Spend some time with this final throught from the New Testament: Christ will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart (1 Corinthians 4:5).