What if you encountered that person who caused you to lose heart, but you walked away with a heart unfazed?

Not just unfazed, but confident and at peace.

Is that even possible?

For years those who caused me pain caused me additional pain.

When I met them. When I thought about what happened. When I felt inadequate and I needed someone to blame. When they hurt me again.

Isn’t it ironic that, for some of us, that the person can be totally out of the picture and they still consume a corner of our thoughts and in our heart, long after the hurt occurred? ←{Click to tweet this}

In 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 Paul says he is “hard pressed on every side, but not crushed.”

He’s “perplexed, but not in despair.”

He’s “persecuted, but not abandoned.”

And he’s “struck down, but not destroyed”.

I don’t know about you, but being hard pressed, persecuted, perplexed, and struck down sounds like my worst day. 

People had hurt his heart. . . but we find the power in the “nots” of this verse.

kardia {Greek} – the heart; mind, character, inner self, will, intention, center; the central or innermost part; the essential or most vital part of something. 

When people hurt our heart, it can affect our innermost self.

Paul went through the above and rather than be in despair. . . he was at peace. Rather than feel abandoned. . . he was confident that he was loved. Rather than be destroyed, he came out stronger.

He lived free from the inside out. Now that can sound really churchy or perhaps inspirational, but what does it look like in real life?

Recently I had a bad day with a person. Words hurt. Not just once, but more than once. I wished I didn’t care, but I did. I had tried so hard to make things nice.

I slipped into a small room and closed my eyes.

“Where are you in the midst of this, Jesus?” I asked.

I knew where my flesh was. It was front and center. On point. Ready to take offense. To fight my battle.

I needed to refocus, if only for a moment, to remember Whose I was. And to find direction.

As I sat quietly, I realized that I couldn’t fix this at the moment. If I had done something wrong (and of course, there are times that I have), this would have been the time to address that with the help of the Holy Spirit, but I was in a “hard pressed” situation.

I felt peace slip in where discouragement wanted to take root.

By finding the Light within, I took heart rather than lost heart in that situation. ♥{←Click to tweet}

The funny thing is, the situation didn’t necessarily go away. It was something I needed to address, but rather than address it with my flesh or my feelings, I could deal with it at the appropriate time, and with clarity rather than emotion.

And if it didn’t work out? I was at peace within myself. I was confident in whose I was. I was strong as a woman of faith and a child of a God who loves this girl like crazy.

Read 46 through 52 in The Mended Heart: God’s Healing for Your Broken Places

Q: What does it mean to live free from the inside out?

Q: What is your people factor?

Q: What is your typical response?

Q: What is the Jesus factor in the midst of that?

On page 49, we talk about flawed thinking:

• When she changes, I’ll change.
• If only he would love me more, then I’d be okay.
• If that person hadn’t hurt me, I’d be happy.
• Because of what he/she did, I have every reason to feel that way.

Q: What might happen if that other person never changes, or says they are sorry?

Q: What does God want for you regardless of another person’s actions or lack of?

Journal your answers. Pray about them. Share them here!

Will you do me a favor? Invite a friend. Tell others about this study. I’d love to see many women discover their own mended heart! ←{Click to tweet}

If you would, if The Mended Heart is impacting your heart, would you leave a review? That helps others know what you think, and allows the word to spread. ♥

Tomorrow we’ll dig a little deeper into how people hurt your heart, but how to love them in their brokenness. . . without living in brokenness with them.

Suzie