You're listening to Encounter, a simple daily podcast of sacred and mindful meditations

to help you encounter the divine presence of God all throughout your day.

If you want to have free access to the entire library of 500 meditations, I encourage

you to download the Encountering Peace app where all the meditations are free as they should be.

When you encounter stress, what coping mechanisms do you rely on? When you face trauma,

what strategies do you use to help you manage painful or difficult emotions?

Well, according to a 2012 report from the National Center for Biotechnology,

nearly 20% of individuals had cut or otherwise deliberately injured themselves

as a way to cope with emotional pain. The reason some people turn to self-harm are complex,

but they usually include inducing physical pain to take away hidden emotional suffering.

An alternative outlet, if you will, for secret, repressed torment.

Cutting can be a way for a person to feel something when they otherwise feel numb.

One other constant is that people who cut are often their own worst critics.

But isn't that true for most of us? Unless you're a narcissist, we are often our harshest critics.

So how do you cope with that hidden emotional pain?

Well, this meditation from Revelation chapter 21 is a reflection on coping with hidden pain.

Being mindful of how Christ can absorb the agony. He can cry your tears.

Take your grieving. Bring you peace and remove formerly hidden torment.

But if you're struggling with self-injury, it's important to reach out to a mental health

professional for support, help, and accountability. Our time is not meant to replace that.

Rather, this meditation is a time for all of us to release the hidden pain of harsh self-criticism.

So whether at first morning light or the last shadows of evening,

...