Surrender Your Heart

Have you ever had a heavy heart—felt the physical effects of your sadness weighing you down? You are not alone. I have felt this way too. Worries, painful experiences, anxiety, grief, or guilt can burden you. It feels as if your emotional state is sinking physically into your body. Craving solitude, I dragged myself on long walks. Alone time in the fresh air helped, and during these strolls, or at night before sleeping, I would share my deepest thoughts with God. Nothing happened straight away. It was a long process, but even though my emotions were painful, I believed that God was always on standby ready to listen and my worries were His. Our Heavenly Father knows us and loves us deeply. He didn’t create us to sit suffering in terrible silence, allowing anxieties to rattle around inside our minds. He created us to enjoy fullness of life with Him (John 10:10). And even though we live in a world that has been broken by sin, God doesn’t give up on us. Jesus came to allow us to have a relationship with God and to reassure us that He is always with us, always ready for us to reach out to Him. Jesus was born, died, rose again, and ascended to bring new life to this broken world. Jesus’s sacrifice, His substitution for our sins and punishment, shows the immensity of God’s love (John 3:16-17). Jesus’s death on the cross is a profound act of selflessness that is mindboggling to understand, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true or relevant. When Jesus died in our place and rose from the dead three days later, He changed everything. He gave us grace and forgiveness, and He sealed His promise to heal all brokenness and defeat all evil. If we’ve put our trust in Jesus, we are never alone. Jesus grieves our pain alongside us, and He heals us. Surrendering your heart to Him disperses the pain inside. It is a reminder that you don’t have to go through whatever trial you happen to be facing alone. In my own life, the walks, the talks in a quiet room, the tears shed before bed helped me unburden myself and calmed my soul. I also found that God provides trusted people in our lives to help us. When we surrender our hearts to God, when we come to Him in simple trust and faith, something precious happens. He untangles the sadness within us and restores us piece by piece. • Cindy Lee • Can you think of a time you felt a heaviness or sadness within you? These emotions are painful, but God loves us more than we could dare to imagine, and He wants to help us. • If you are experiencing worries, painful experiences, anxiety, grief, or guilt you’re not alone. Who are trusted adults in your life who could help you process these things? • If you need someone to talk to, you can set up an appointment for a one-time complimentary phone consultation with a Christian counselor through the Focus on the Family Counseling Service. In the United States, call 1-855-771-HELP (4357) weekdays 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (Mountain Time) to set up an appointment. In Canada, book your appointment by calling 1-800-661-9800. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I [Jesus] will give you rEsther ” Matthew 11:28 (NIV)