Put a band-aid on your heart. There, that feels better now, don’t think about the pain anymore and it will go away. Until…..he is insensitive to your feelings, he won’t listen to your opinions, he chastises you because your way of doing things is not how he would do it – so it must be wrong, he doesn’t have the time for you….so just put a band-aid on your heart.
Who wants to feel bad all the time anyway? Distract yourself with life numbing things…. television, books, Facebook, chocolate, wine, the gym. Self soothe and hit the delete button, reboot and start again, except it is forever engrained in your hard drive.
The only way to truly get rid of it is to destroy it.
Is that what you want?
Or do you embrace the pain and refuse to ignore it? Tend to the wound with love and respect for yourself and refuse to put a band-aid on it. Don’t cover it up and let it fester. Don’t let the contempt you have for yourself and him take over the beauty that God created in you. Don’t give in to the urge to take the path of least resistance.
Take the path that is life giving instead.
Don’t be the “Walking Dead” version of yourself.
Be the person who is in touch with their heart and God who created it. Learn how to live in the tension between good and evil without numbing out.
Embrace wholehearted living – not half a heart.
Jesus exhibited this by refusing to cower, shut up or not weep when he was here. He said the hard things, “Woe to you…”, and did the hardest thing to suffer and die for his love (heart) for us.
He laughed and cried.
He was the best example of wholehearted living we have.
So the next time you feel yourself shutting down, ask yourself, “What would Jesus do?” Don’t be afraid, He is waiting to guide you into the abundant life. John 14:1, Jesus says, “Don’t let your heart be troubled.
Trust in God, trust also in me…” It takes faith to trust and for all of us who have been betrayed we have had our faith damaged or killed in some instances. Brene’ Brown says “Faith is a place of mystery where we find the courage to believe in what we cannot see and the strength to let go of our fear of uncertainty.”
So be strong and courageous and fight the enemies of our heart.
I was at a Dan Allender “Wounded Heart Conference” recently and Dan gave the allegory of a boat with faith as the anchor and hope as the sail. Let hope rise in you for a life truly lived and refuse to put a band-aid on your heart.
Gayle Manske lives in Racine, WI with her husband of 25 years and twin 15 year old boys and a goldendoodle. Gayle finds life worth living from her relationship with the Prince of Peace. Since her journey began with Jesus, he continues to open her eyes to true abundant life.
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