We're rarely honest about the areas in our lives where we turn God off. And we all have these moments at some point; to say we don't is to deny our humanity. We really can't pretend like everything God says and does gives us great feelings. Our parents have often upset us when raising us even though they probably meant well. God is pretty much the same way.
So, there's this area of my life where I didn't realize I was growing a hardened heart, or growing cold per say. I cringed every time it was brought up, or I'd try to scroll past it really fast if I saw it online. Like I was basically covering my ears like this 😅
So, there's this area of my life where I didn't realize I was growing a hardened heart, or growing cold per say. I cringed every time it was brought up, or I'd try to scroll past it really fast if I saw it online. Like I was basically covering my ears like this 😅
When it came to relationships, dating, and marriage...this is me. There's a lot of talk around town concerning relationships, it's apart of life! After my divorce was final on my birthday last year, I never wanted to discuss this side of life again. It was normal to feel this way and quite expected after experiencing such heartache. Divorce is a tough one to get over, especially when you're the one who didn't want it. So I told myself I'd take a break from any relationship advice, songs, movies, ministries, memes, you name it! I wanted a hiatus. I'm sure God understood this, I mean it was He who called me to live in peace after everything.
I thought this was a healthy decision, to an extent, it was. But things started happening inside of me, I became aware of how I really felt about it, moving forward. I would cringe at advice, if I saw something about cultivating a healthy marriage, I'd agree, but I felt some type of way about it. It just left a bad taste in my mouth, in my heart. I felt anxiety, regret, and sometimes I feel unworthy... My little 'hiatus' was becoming a disguise for pain. My heart was hardening the more I avoided this area.
What parts of your life have you been avoiding and writing off? What's that painful spot in your heart that's too sensitive to talk about? Have you been avoiding something?
I can definitely relate. Nothing is truly easy in life...NOTHING. Accepting ourselves for who we really are seems to be one of the hardest quests in life. The Word of God says in Romans 12:3,
"Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, don't think you are better than you really are." (New Living Translation)
And if I am honest, when it comes to this area of relationships, I am the weakest link, and my heart was becoming hardened. I have not been so careful with my heart even after the fact... I'll be the first to admit that I NEED GOD'S HELP. What about you? The good news is, once we are honest and acknowledge our weakness, God is able to reach into that weakness and restore. He has a plan to restore every dead area inside of us. He just wants our honesty.
It is only when we confess our sins that we can be forgiven and healed as stated in James 5:16 and 1 John 1:9. But as long as our hearts are hardened, we lose our understanding and we literally shut out our healing.
For this nation’s heart has grown hard,And with their ears they hardly hear,And they have [tightly] closed their eyes,Otherwise they would see with their eyes,And hear with their ears,And understand with their heart, and turn [to Me]And I would heal them [spiritually].’- Matthew 13:15
I encourage you to be honest in your evaluation now, confess your sin, and when God calls...harden not your heart before Him. He is eager to give us a new heart.
