Untangling My Heart

In the last 12 months I have felt every emotion possible...anger, frustration, confusion, stress, overwhelmed, mad, sad, nervous, happy, excited, relieved...

In a whirlwind of events this year, everything in my life seemed to change...friends did hurtful things, my husband decided on a career change, my second daughter was struggling in school and had a possible diagnosis of an anxiety disorder, we had a million home projects to complete in the matter of a few weeks to put our house on the market and we didn't even know where we would be moving this summer.

It would be so easy to let my feelings about all these things make me absolutely miserable and depressed. I've been there, done that and don't want to go back. I want peace and hope during these uncertain times. I know I can only find it in Jesus!

The book Freeing Tangled Hearts by Dolores Kimball has been key for me to get through these trials, with the truth of God's Word as my foundation instead of living based on my feelings.  Here are some of my favorite quotes from this book that have helped me keep my emotions in check. Every woman I know struggles with her emotions at times, so I hope you too will find encouragement and strength in these truths:

• 'Those who obsess about themselves will never be happy in any circumstance. Those who obsess about God will find joy in all circumstances.' (Quoting Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)  (10)

• "...but the tangling of Christian hearts often results from a lack of understanding that the Christian life is not hearts and flowers - it's a battle." (19)

•  "...no amount of advice or counseling will solve your problems if your biggest problem is that you are separated from God." (30)

•  "Each trial makes us stronger and better able to handle the next one. The trial of the tangled heart, like all others, is designed to show you that your faith is real." (33)

•  "...our feelings must not dictate our thoughts and actions." (52)

• "Start with negative emotions - come to wrong conclusions about truth. Start with truth - come to right conclusions and have positive emotions." (56)

• "But if God has marked out the race for us, then every day of our lives has meaning and purpose because God has planned it that way...there is no Plan B for the Christian woman; we are all living in Plan A right now." (69)

• "Feelings...may or may not be associated with truth and reality." (94)

• "Truth should drive feelings, instead of the other way around. Feelings are not the issue; truth is the issue. What you feel is not the determiner of reality or of truth." (99)

• "Just like the toddler who can't have his way, anger is often produced when we don't get something which we believe we deserve to have." (108)

• "The woman who is frequently in a rage loves no one but herself, and she gives free rein to her anger because she feels entitled to do so." (112)

• "Bitterness is the root; anger is the fruit. Bitterness turns inward and rots us from the inside out. Anger is the explosion that results from inward bitterness." (121)

• "The diabolical nature of envy should be obvious. As long as we're chasing after what Satan is dangling in front of us like a carrot in front of a mule, we won't be seeking after God or hungering and thirsting for righteousness (Matt. 5:6)." (131)

Want to know more about Dolores Kimball's book "Freeing Tangled Hearts"?
- Here is my review of the book.
- Here's a link to Kimball's website.

All quotes from: Kimball, Dolores. Freeing Tangled Hearts.(Grand Rapids: EP Books, 2013.)