Hope for the Troubled Heart

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"What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Pain from the past often permeates the present.  Certain moments have a way of defining us.

the accident
the death
the divorce
the argument
the illness
the failure

Hurtful experiences come in broken shards with jagged edges that cut deep and pierce the heart.

If we hold our hurts close, clutching them tightly in our grasp, we will never move beyond the pain. Sometimes, it's more "comfortable" to hang on to old hurts than to risk releasing them. Maybe doing so means letting go of our very identity.

But faith calls us to release the past -- to begin the long journey of healing.

Looking the other direction . . . towards the future . .trouble is a brewing! Every person has problems coming down the pike.

Why are we so surprised when trouble knocks at the door? It's normal. Hardship comes with the package of living.

However, there is plenty of blessing to go along with our trials. It's a good mix, really: a gallon of grace for every teaspoon of trouble. God is with us.

Do not succumb to the tears, nor cave to the fears. Regret and anxiety are terrible dictators.  It's time to overthrow them and live in freedom -- one day at a time.

"What lies behind us, and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

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