“It is not the bruises on the body that hurt. It is the wounds of the heart and the scars on the mind.” Aisha Mirza
Rosanne slipped into the Sunday morning service just as the worship wound down. A friend for 15 years, she had taken a two-hour bus ride to be there. Happily married, she teaches literature at a Filipino university and loves the Lord. I was surprised but pleased to see her during my trip to the Philippines two weeks ago.
A shadow looms over Rosanne’s life. She constantly struggles with emotional issues from her past. Guilt and shame combine to make her feel unworthy of God’s love. She’s very hard on herself. I constantly remind Rosanne that God has forgiven and cleansed her from the past, that she needs to let it all go, accept God’s full pardon in Christ and move forward in her life. She understands in her head but finds it difficult to believe it in her heart.
Rosanne is like many of you. She’s like me. We need healing from past emotional wounding. So I offer this prayer for whomever it fits. Perhaps it’s you. “Lord, I ask that you bring significant healing for me and all my friends who suffer from….
- Some failure from the past that hounds us, causing ongoing regret
- A deep-seated feeling that we’re not enough, that there is something wrong with us
- Self-condemnation, beating ourselves up over past sins
- An inordinate sense of needing to please everyone
- A broken heart, betrayed by someone we have truly loved
- Bitterness, anger, resentment over someone who really hurt us
- Fear, worry and stress, unable to completely trust God with significant personal issues
- A unhealthy and driving need to have praise and attention from others
- A performance-based life, trying to earn love from God and friends
- Self-pity, believing falsely that nobody really cares for us
Do you find yourself in this list? I do. May God deliver us all of these nagging, negative feelings.
Happy 8th Birthday to Zoe Elise whom we have helped raise since near birth. She was brought to us by a struggling Burmese couple who could not care for her. Rolyn, our facilitator, has adopted Zoe and given her the love she so needed. She is always a highlight on our visits. I have some beautiful paper flowers on my desk Zoe made/gave me three weeks ago while I was in Thailand.
Prayer Needs This Week…
- Shana – carrying a baby doctors have said has some abnormalities and they have exhorted her to abort the bay. She will not. Pray God brings healing to the child and a healthy baby is born.
- Chris Lizotte’s mother who is dealing with some challenging heart issues.
- Caleb Scott on his way to the Middle East to work with refugees
- Darby and Dominique leaving in mid-June for Greece to minister to refugees
- Still working to get Cherry back across the Burma/Thai border
Encouragement From God’s Word: “God is a refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble.” Psalm 46:1
May God meet your heart this week in a very special way,
Pastor Jay