Unacknowledged and unresolved inner conflicts have a way of spilling over into our interpersonal relationships and damaging them. The unfortunate Sosthenes experienced this firsthand as he was cruelly used by the crowd to vent their anger and frustration at Gallio’s refusal to deal with their case against Paul. This clear example of what psychologists call “displacement,” is something that we can easily replicate in our own lives when strong negative feelings and aversive emotions are experienced as unbearable. Then we may find ourselves picking an argument or reacting angrily at the slightest perceived provocation as a way of spewing out and relieving ourselves of the inner negativity. The challenge is to find healthy ways of containing this negativity within us while simultaneously employing the negative emotions to gain deeper self-knowledge and uncover the deeper roots of our negative feelings, emotions, and the sinfulness underlying them. Only in this way will God’s healing grace be able reach and do its work of redeeming us.
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