The urge to text your ex can be so real sometimes... Am I right or am I right!?!?
It's unfortunately one of the sad side-effects of breaking up. You miss having someone to say good morning to. You miss having someone to say good night to. You miss getting those constant words of affirmation. You miss sending memes back and forth.
And if we are being honest with ourselves? Sometimes we don't even want them back. Sometimes we just want to text them because we want them to want us back.
Sigh.
I guess it's an ego thing.
Either way though - You reach for your phone, as if your hands had a mind of their own, and then you snap out of it. - Reminding yourself that you shouldn't. You just can't.
I know you are so prone to following your emotions... but even your impulses have to bow at the name of Jesus. I've been right where you're at - and remember, God will always provide a way out of temptation!
So what should you do instead? How can you curb this overwhelming urge?
HERE ARE A FEW IDEAS:
1. Watch This Sermon Jam
Running by John Piper - If that doesn't do it for ya, I don't know what will! We need to run with endurance the race set before us and lay down every single weight that holds us back! If your ex was not leading you to Jesus, then they were most definitely a weight! Watch this over and over again until your head and your heart agree!
2. Facetime Your Closest Friend
Why text your ex when you can phone your best friend instead? If you’re feeling lonely and vulnerable, your BFF should be the first ones you run to. Ask them for prayer. Ask them to remind you why your ex is your ex in the first place. Do you know that Jesus sent the disciples out in twos to evangelize!? We are made for community! When we are weak, the other will most certainly hold us up!
3. Get On A Dating Site
LOL... No, I'm not kidding.
I don’t necessarily want you to jump into another relationship right away... BUT, I got on a dating site a few months after my break-up just to see what else was out there! I winded up finding my forever husband, ha! But I think you should utilize this opportunity to see that there is a world that exists beyond the relationship that just ended.
I think it may be a simple way to just give you a bit of hope... and even a bit of a distraction!
4. Bake. Bake. And Bake Some More!
Baking is alllllways a good idea.
Especially with Pinterest now, we can find desserts that have the lowest cals and that won't make a difference in our weight at all!
Bake something and share it with your family. Share it with your classmates. Share it with your coworkers. Get those fingers busy doing something else besides texting!
5. Work Out!
I love this secular song - I Look So Good by Jessie James... It's so old but I would listen to it all the time after a break-up!
Blast it and get to the gym! Exercise has the power to enable peoples’ happy hormones and give them that natural high. Not only will you come out feeling proud of yourself for getting a good workout, this could serve as the start of a regular health regimen that you could follow!!!
6. Netflix BINGE
In the age of streaming, there are no limits to distractions. Find a show on Netflix that you think would interest you and just immerse yourself in that digital world. Remember not to watch a rom com or a soap sad show that will make you act on your impulses. Watch shows like The Office! Something that God doesn't despise! Put something on that can shut your brain off for a little while.
7. Visit A Happily Married Couple
Long-term relationships are so beautiful. Go and visit your aunt and uncle. Go and visit your neighbors. Go and visit some people from church... Buy them coffee in exchange for some of their time. Ask them how they keep Christ in the center of their relationship. Ask them why they fell in love with each other. I know for a fact that you will be grateful that your ex is gone and excited for your future.
8. Write A Letter To Your Future Spouse
I made my future husband box with an old shoe box that I had. Any time I ever wanted to text my ex, or anytime that I was just tempted to go and have a little fling... I sat on my bed and just wrote my future spouse a letter.
When Ron and I got married, we both sat down and read through them all! It was one of the most beautiful moments I had ever had! Writing those letters gave me hope that he was out there somewhere. I loved praying for him!
9. Burn His Things
I've 100% had a burning ceremony before and it's pretty amazing. I took all of my ex's clothes, pictures, and letters and dumped them all in a bonfire to be burned. It was like our love had a funeral! It really did give me a lot of closure. I was able to do it with some of my closest friends by my side.
10. Get In Your WORD!
God's Word is alive and it is active! It is strong and has the power to transform any heart or mind. Here are some verses that helped me get through some of the toughest times of heartbreak...
Psalm 73:26
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Revelation 21:4
“He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
Psalm 34:17-18
“When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”
Psalm 37:4-5
“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.”