Happy Trails…
I had lunch with an old friend recently who shared with me a heartbreaking story of how she had her heart broken. Apparently letting a man in close proximity to her before really getting to know him, she got burned. Pretty crazy, right? Not really, it happens quite often. I shared with her some of my similar experiences. She had texted me earlier in the week, reeling from the pain of finding out who this individual actually was, so I sort of already had an idea of what to expect at the lunch. She didn’t want to talk about it but when I reminded her about Proverbs 4:23 and guarding your heart I think she realized I had already noticed what was going on…
My friend is no spring chicken. She’s been around the block a time or two… but it is interesting how we often keep making the same mistakes in life. Maybe it’s our vulnerabilities that continually draw us in I don’t know… but I do know now more so than ever the power of having a decided heart. I also continually see example after example of how powerful this verse is:
Guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.
I have also noticed something about grief – that response or feeling when we lose something to which a bond is formed. This all centers around a re-kindled friendship with an old college buddy. She’s a grief guru, you can check out her website here. It’s sort of funny every time I think of the word “grief” Charlie Brown comes to mind. The gang always heckled Charlie Brown and his antics with the phrase, “Good grief Charlie Brown!!” And so I came to the conclusion that grief is indeed good… when we heal and recover from it. If you visit my friend Kelly’s website you will see she is a proponent of the full recovery from grief and the loses in life. I like that.
Back to the decided heart… and my other friend’s predicament…Â the “ghosts of girlfriends past” – those gremlins that seem to sneak into our minds. I’m not referring to the sociopath who can’t let go – they’re dangerous and need help… 50 shades of creepy.
Remember, it’s about how we approach the end of the story. God breathes life into us daily through His word and the power of the Holy Spirit. With every breath is He deeper into you? (Click To Tweet)
This is like addictions, this grief thing – once you admit to yourself there’s an issue, you have hope. Only then can you celebrate and click the button like Desmond, resetting the clock every 108 minutes… Cheerios!!
Hopefully my friend will be a little more conservative about letting strangers have a part of her heart. The power of a decided heart would help her from having more weeks like the doozy.
With vulnerability we should demand authenticity. Then we can open up and things start to get real…
Image courtesy of OakleyOriginals on flickr.com
It’s tough when we keep making the same mistakes over and over. Fortunately God made us teachable so we have hope that “one of these days” we’ll have learned. Even if we don’t ever quite get there, we have a loving God who will heal us and strengthen us and keep doing so as long as we need it.
I know that I’ve made quite a few repeat mistakes in my days. Good point about our Lord always being there to pick us back up!