Good morning,friend! How you think today will dictate how you feel! Don’t feed on the lies of shame, feats on the love of your Savior. Reject the deceit of guilt and rest in the donation of grace. Train your thoughts to be huggers not haters. You are loved!
Time heals all wounds; so it has been said, but whoever coined this was possibly confused by the challenge of wounds of the heart and soul. I am certain this is not true, but will submit that maybe it lessens their sting.
Healing is not just a passage of time but a process of purposed pain.
We cannot wait out deep wounds; rather we have to press into them when we are ready for renewal to begin. The mending of mangled hearts is hard work. It takes courage and the perseverance of a marathon, not a sprint. There are no short cuts. It is facing the fire and walking straight through.
As children of King Jesus, we can do this, though. We can enter the furnace with the confident assurance and walk into the affliction that has seared our souls. We are going to get burned up a little, but not consumed because we have a Father who is walking beside us and buffering our burns. Isaiah 43:2 ~When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.
I often got splinters as a child. I dreaded them with a heart-pounding fear because I knew those intruders would have to be removed to stop my pain. My parents would burn the end of a needle to sterilize it before dislodging the splinter. The process of removing the splinter was painful and often involved digging, twisting and pushing of the needle into tender parts of my flesh, but my parents had carefully prepared the process, not because it would prevent present pain but because it would preclude future infection.
The healing of our hearts is like this process. Jesus is removing our splinters to prepare us for His purpose. He carefully prepares the way, and it burns. He knows it is presently going to hurt, but more importantly He knows it is eternally going to heal.
No one can tell you how to mend the heaviness of your heart, nor can anyone give you a timetable. There is no instruction manual or twelve step program for personal pain. No one should tell you to disown your feelings through the process. It is important to remember, however, that feelings ARE indicators, but they are NOT inditers. The enemy will use them that way; to discourage, distract and derail your progress. When he begins charging you with weakness, insufficiency, or whatever his poison is, remember the importance of removing and replacing. It is not enough to eliminate incorrect thoughts; we also have to replace them with infallible truths from God’s word.
God bless you on your journey to heal, friend. It will be a bumpy road, but not bare of hope and hidden treasures that will encourage your heart. Isaiah 45:3 ~And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness–secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.
When you are ready friend, run to your pain, not away. It is when we face our giants that we win the war. You are loved!
Keep the train on the tracks! Yesterday I was having a conversation with a wise, friend. I was seeking advice about an endeavor The Lord has blessed me with this fall. My friend said to me, “if you hear nothing else, hear me say this; you have to keep the train on the tracks.” Now, he was talking about staying on task, but those words have been ringing in my mind since yesterday afternoon. I went to bed hearing them, and I woke up hearing them. It is like a soft, resolute chorus that is on a continuous loop. Here is why friends; this is such a fundamental truth of life. In every part of my life, if I don’t “keep the train on the tracks” I am going to derail. My thoughts are a primary example because they can be like an out of control train headed for collision if I do not correct them quickly. My feelings work the same way. Thoughts are the ancestors of feelings, and I am susceptible to allowing the things I think to get me off track. When I do, it is a sure bet that my feelings are raging closely behind. Being a good mind manager is one of the hardest disciplines because it requires intention and diligence, but it is imperative to my stability. Relationships are also another area that this concept is so important. It is easy for me to let things go until they build up and all of a sudden a molehill has become a mountain. If I am caring for my relationships as I should be, the train should not get too far to the left or the right of the tracks before alarms sound that I need to make some corrections. Otherwise, derailment is inevitable. I could go on with examples because this principal is all encompassing, ranging from my nutrition to my quiet time. My prayer for me and you, friend, is that we remember to keep the train on the tracks whether it be our relationship, words, health or any number of life’s challenges. I am so quick to live my day from the poverty of my flesh instead of the power of my Father. Lord Jesus help us to remember today and every day that when we keep life between the lines of your word, the train will not derail without our permission.
Earlier I stepped out of church to more tragic news. More evil. More lives taken. More unnecessary violence. More heartache.
Yesterday, I decided my feelings would not be the boss of me today as they have been so many recent days amidst the backdrop of consecutive tragedies. I didn’t know my pledge would be so immediately challenged. I remain steadfast in that commitment, but my heart is heavy, and I feel deep sadness. However, I do not have to be powerless to my feelings.
I honor a God whose promises still reign, and He has given me the power to act in spite of my agony. I am going to use The Lord’s strength to continue being a prayerful supporter, a promise seeker, and a peace sower.
Remember the crucifixion, friends. From all the view points of the people present on that dark day, it looked like the most tragic event in history, and it was in many ways. However, it turned out to be the greatest thing God ever did for the world.
We have to hold on to that kind of wreckless faith, friends. We cannot put our hope in this world, but we must press into the hope of God’s word while in this world. Otherwise, we will be starving orphans searching everywhere for a drink only to find tainted water.
John 16:33 ~I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
Our thoughts are prone prisoners of our feelings. Pray that your thoughts may be independent of your feelings. It takes intention, but it is worth the investment. We cannot change how we feel, but we can control how we think. Today you may feel inadequate, but you are His Beloved whom He takes delight in. Let your thoughts rest there today. This practice will change the landscape of your day.
There are many substitutes for feeling good Father. Positive feelings and “being happy” become states of entitlement where we begin to believe we should always abide. Train us to remember that feelings are fluid and fallible, disqualifying them as credible sources of truth or qualified indicators for making decisions. It is an eternal joy; which is not circumstantial; that is sustaining Father because it originates from You. Joy accentuates us in times of abundance and anchors us in seasons of affliction. We draw joy and happiness from different wells Father. That sometimes becomes confusing in a world betrayed by the deception of “happily ever after.” The bible says the joy of The Lord is our strength, (Nehemiah 8:10). Assist us in living free of the entanglement of feelings and emotions and strengthen us in persevering joy. Amen.