3 Toxic Behaviors

Which of these three toxic behaviors tends to be your pattern in your relationship with God?

Feel free to post comments below to elaborate on your response. Read as well your fellow retreatants’ posts.

26 replies on “3 Toxic Behaviors”

Orbiting,I attend to my daily prayers and masses but I feel lack of depth ,intimacy and coherence in these things.Forgive me Lord ,help. me to be more focused and truly feel and accept your Divine Presence .

Orbiting. It is like, when I am in such a grace-filled state, I am on a high and so deeply connected and united with God. But at times when confusion, desolation and alienation is experienced, I tend to just simply disconnect with God. Avoid. Or unable to have that intimate deep connection with God until I am again led by grace to see the light, understand and accept my low condition, my humanness and accept God’s grace of understanding and accepting me. And so on and so forth. The orbiting happens every now and then. The highs and low of my relationship with God. And it is always God’s grace that leads me back to Him and experience the bliss of communion with God. It is also God’s grace that doesn’t leave me at my lowest and just be there with me patiently in the low moment. I thank God for His grace and presence.

There are certain periods of non-engagement with God, neglecting prayer time in the pursuit of work-related and recreational activities like being so engrossed in computer games.

gas lighting but i always ask Gid to convict my heart whenever I feel I miss the Mark and to give me a healthy conscience.

I tend to deviate myself to God. That. Sometimes I don’t make him my number one in Life.
Dear Lord, I as you to give me always the grace to put you first in my life. That I may always glorify you, adoring as my one and only God in my life. The God that I want to follow all the days of my life. Thank you Lord.

With all honesty to myself and especially to God, ORBITING would best define those moments that I feel “let down” by God. This happened when I lost my dad to cancer. I was away to attend the Passion Play in Oberammergau and to offer prayers for my dad. But during this trip my dad passed away. I was devastated and was in extreme pain. I know that God was the only way out of all the sorrow so I did not let go, but wallowed in my pain and ignored Him.

Gaslighting, but more in the context that I gaslight myself in my relationship with God; since most of the time, I rationalize being distant with Him thinking that He’ll forgive me anyways – making it a scapegoat that God operates, understands, loves differently than us.

Lord, I am sorry for orbiting in my relationship with you. While I have not stopped engaging with you there is a lack of intentionality with what I do and how I do things.. there is a lack of earnestness in wanting that relationship with you. There is a lack of total commitment to wanting to flourish my relationship with you. Sometimes I even forget to think of you in a particular day and would only pray like it’s just a routine and not entirely because I want to be receptive to you and wanting to have a relationship with you. I would sometimes have this gust of desire but then this would slowly wane and other worldly things/concerns would take over.

I’m relating to orbiting. My connection with God is always there but often times I go about my way when things are fine but reconnect deeper with God when feeling lost, worried or in need of His intervention.

I give excuses , rationalize why I don’t do my Holy Obligations. I do a blame game with God to excuse my sins. Yet upon soul searching or mindful thinking – I realize I have the volition, I chose my actions.

For me its gaslighting. I have the tendency to rationalize and defend myself whenever I consciously sin. I take time to pray again and to completely surrender to Him. I usually lack the humility to ask for God’s forgiveness.

Listening, discerning His will is still a struggle. I am unsure whether my decisions are according to His will. I continue to pray though

I tend to be a “cafeteria” Catholic. I learned this term from Fr. Johnny himself years ago but still guilty of this. We just can not chose what teachings we want to follow, teachings that suit us only.

I think I tend to resort to orbiting God…in my moments or period of backsliding spiritually. Times when I neglect to pray or talk to Him especially when I feel overwhelmed or burdened by anxiety…it is hard for me to look up to Him. Yet, I still would like to feel His presence. I may also be doing this when I feel guilty about my neglect of my prayer life or church obligations, so I tend to not think so much about him…I know this is a bad attitude. I will do my best to overcome it. This morning session so far has been most reassuring — strengthening assurance of God’s love for me.

Orbiting. I know that I have to be anchored to God but I am not that committed to make Him ALWAYS my number one. I know He is in my heart but I always tumbled down to express my love and committment to serve Him all the days of my life.

I tend to be a “cafeteria” Catholic. I learned this term from Fr. Johnny himself years ago but still guilty of this. We just can not chose what teachings we want to follow, teachings that suit us only.

I tend to rationalize my actions & feelings with God to justify that I acted or felt what I did in certain situations in my life especially when I am hurt.

I would define myself with a different kind of toxicity–one with a demanding and despairing tendency.
Dear God, I turn to you always and some days it feels like I do not see Your face. Please come into my life. Amen.

its hard to relate when one is consistent with her relationship with God. Almost like a routine , I connect with God daily thru my prayerw and reflections. so Orbiting may not even apply.

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