Jesus has been leading me through deep soul work—bringing up painful experiences to help me acknowledge how they affected me, learn from them, and repent where needed. While working through a video and workbook on manipulation and control, I grew uncomfortable. At first, I was focused on how others had manipulated or controlled me. But the Holy Spirit gently shifted my focus to the log in my own eye. He brought up memories of times I had been manipulated in ways that seemed playful but were aimed at gaining attention, praise, or control. It hurt to realize I’d been coerced in the name of fun, but deeper still was the realization that I’ve done the same. The thought of this was familiar and painful to think about; I knew that I had engaged in this sort of behavior myself. I remembered manipulating others to join me in sin or cleverly trying to secure more of someone’s time instead of trusting God to provide what I needed relationally. After I finished my study, I turned to my journal an...