How did Jesus face urges?

When confronted in the temple by the scribes and Pharisees who were accusing the woman taken in adultery, Jesus paused in the middle of the intensity and wrote on the ground with His finger. Perhaps He was purposely slowing down and doing something while he waited for his body’s fight or flight instincts to subside. You may recognize this approach in Sara Brewer’s “stop, drop, and breathe” approach that she describes in episode 66 (see link below).

When Jesus’ panicked disciples woke him up during a storm on the sea, they were obviously in a fight or flight mode, Jesus, on the contrary, remained calm, then calmed the sea.

And when Jesus was tempted to turn away from the “bitter cup” in the Garden of Gethsemane, Instead of entering fight or flight mode, He resolved to face it, and feel it.

Gaining the awareness, courage and skill to face our own urges and emotions is an absolute game-changer! Learning to do this will immediately start to give you power over your habit, rather than your habit controlling you.

To learn this, we need practice and experience, not just conceptual knowledge. Like any complex skill (learning an instrument, excelling at sport, riding a bike, or performing a surgery), you cannot learn it by simply reading about it.

Here are a few podcast episodes from Sara Brewer that are very helpful in learning to face and feel.

• Episode 4 – Stop Fearing Urges – Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or on Sara’s website
• Episode 39 – Resist, React, and Allow – Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or on Sara’s website
• Episode 66 – How Do I Process an Urge? – Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or on Sara’s website

Let’s try practicing together with the video below.