Poems For Life

It is easy to forget the illness that attacks as hard and as strong as anything physical. Or the one that creeps up slowly as a mental illness. But the sickness of heart is as debilitating as either of the above.
There are many causes and reasons for this destructive “disease” that can set us back in our walk of faith. How sad that this sickness holds us captive and stunts our growth as Christians.
It blinds us to past and present blessings while our confused heart tries to make sense of what has happened to our once healthy heart! I’ve been there and though I knew the source, the beginning of my sickness of heart, paralysis had set in.
I couldn’t go forward – didn’t want to go back! So I stayed in a place of grief and anger at the circumstances. Even lost the ability to pray and praise! I hated where I was, but didn’t seem to know how to get past it.
God seemed far away. I felt no one could possibly understand my condition of heart. Over time I found my way back to a place of joy with the Lord; back to giving all my sorrow to Him. I came out of cynicism and darkness and into His light!
And now I know that this sickness of heart is real for others, too. My happy heart goes out to all the sad hearts who are still experiencing its effects. And my prayers are with them – for healing! I know the medicine and prescribed dosage includes patience. Patience to wait for God to “complete His good work in me” and waiting is a good thing. Especially when we can’t trust our decisions while our hearts are sick and suffering.
As the healing process begins and continues, the power of the Holy Spirit gently pulls us back into prayer. We’ll be reminded of God’s faithfulness through His Word as we begin to rely on it again.
Maybe as we grieve the time our heart sickness stalled us, we’ll know God used it to good advantage. This is what I learned in and through my journey of illness of heart. No medicine or doctor appointment cured me. Only God could and He did. He improved my sight and my insight and He restored the joy of my soul as my heart healed and grew to exploding because of Him – only Him!
Maybe you know someone who has this sickness of heart and want to reach out. Love them and be patient. Before I was stricken with this non physical illness, I’d always thought, “Why can’t he/she pull themselves up by the boot straps and move on?” I now know why it isn’t that simple.
Ecclesiastes 3:3-4 reminds me that there is a time for healing, a time for mourning. God knows the timing for each sick heart to recover and we can understand as we pray for His healing to bring light back into that hurting and precious one that belongs to Him. We can be assured He will finish the work He has begun.
The hope is in the healing and the healing brings hope!

“I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security,” says the Lord. Jeremiah 33:6