healing.

April 9, 2012March 25, 2012 by Kathleen Moulton

Our bodies have an amazing ability to heal. Sometimes it needs help with medication, but what a marvelous process to watch how new skin replaces a cut finger, or how a broken bone mends and become usable again.

Broken hearts are real and not always seen by others. That’s what makes it more difficult.

Their insults have broken my heart and I am so sick. I looked for sympathy, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none. Psalm 69:20

God has not given our physical bodies a way to heal and not our emotions. Talk to God about what hurts. He will not only comfort you, but he will heal your broken heart in time.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

grief.

April 7, 2012April 6, 2012 by Kathleen Moulton ♥ 6 Comments

Grief doesn’t only come from death. It comes from all kinds of loss that brings deep pain. Divorce, illness, abuse, failure … all are reasons we grieve. People need time to grieve and the best thing we can do is give them all the time they need.

After the death of my son, I learned that grief was not a straight shot but like a spiral staircase. In other words, each day is not better and better until you reach the goal of “new normal”. It is more like some good days, a bad day or two, more good days, and bad again. It’s like going up a staircase and then going back a few steps. This is the healthy way to grieve. If you rush it too much, it seems as if sadness gets buried and comes out later in unsuspecting ways.

Don’t be afraid to grieve. It is a natural process that takes time. Our culture is so productive and goal oriented, we expect too much from ourselves and others. Take the time to go through the process of grief. You will be better off in the end than if you rushed yourself along.

The sun will shine again. I promise!

failure.

April 6, 2012March 25, 2012 by Kathleen Moulton ♥ 2 Comments

We have dreams. We work hard. We succeed. We fail.

Failure isn’t the end. It may be the beginning! After 5 years of writing and 3 1/2 years of rejection letters, Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help, finally received an acceptance at her 60^th try! The book was on the New York Times Best Seller list for 100 weeks. Last year, it became a movie.

You’re human. We make mistakes. God figured that into the equation.

If you are feeling the pain of failure, there is life beyond the moment you are in. Please, don’t give up. You don’t know what tomorrow will bring!

empathy.

April 5, 2012March 25, 2012 by Kathleen Moulton ♥ 3 Comments

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. When you are hurting, it helps when someone understands what you’re going through.

I’ve had miscarriages and women who have experienced miscarriages shared in my sadness. They knew exactly how I felt and could empathize with me. They wanted to empathize with me.

The Creator of the Universe tells humanity that He empathizes with us:

For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities. Hebrews 4:15

God is not sitting distanced from the world. He came down in the form of a man to rescue mankind from sin. He continues to empathize with our sorrows.

Next time you feel alone and forgotten, remember there is someone who knows how you are feeling. He will comfort you. How wonderful!

death.

April 4, 2012March 30, 2012 by Kathleen Moulton ♥ 2 Comments

Death is like a storm. The winds howl, the rain plummets, the sky is dark.

Beyond the threatening sky, there is blue sky and sunshine. You just can’t see it.

But it is there.

Death is not the end. But for now, it feels like it.

This Bible verse gives us hope:

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. Revelation 21:4

Look up.

care.

April 3, 2012March 25, 2012 by Kathleen Moulton ♥ 4 Comments

The last thing you want to do when you’re in pain is care about someone else’s pain. Yet, there is something wonderful that occurs when you reach out to help someone else, even when you need help. There is a scripture in the Bible that says this:

. . . he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Proverbs 11:5

I think when we are really hurting, there are very few distractions. We notice others more easily. There is a connection. And when we care for others despite our own pain, we are comforted ourselves.

bitterness.

April 2, 2012March 25, 2012 by Kathleen Moulton ♥ 5 Comments

Bitterness is anger that has lodged somewhere inside and eats away at your joy of living.

If you are not careful, pain can make you bitter.

See, when you are hurting, you want someone to take the pain away. There’s only one who can take it away: God. But you have to trust Him even when it hurts. The way you do that is you recognize that He made the world and He made you.

There are many things we don’t understand and we often ask – why? You may not get an answer and so you have to do something with the “why”. If you’re intent on pursuing your question, it can be never ending; even tormenting, and leading to anger. But if you settle it in your heart that not all “whys” can be answered, and trust God knows, you won’t get bitter.

Bitterness eats away at you and can affect your health. When we let go of bitterness, Mayo Clinic reports the benefits:

Healthier relationships
Greater spiritual and psychological well-being
Less anxiety, stress and hostility
Lower blood pressure
Fewer symptoms of depression
Lower risk of alcohol and substance abuse

Whatever it is, let it go so you can be free.

anxiety.

April 1, 2012March 25, 2012 by Kathleen Moulton ♥ 2 Comments

The world is a big place with scary problems. Cancer, terrorism, war, crime, the future – all cause anxiety. There is torment with anxiety. Our minds are not at peace since we may worry, obsess, or fear. They all equal pain.

Did you know God promises peace? No matter how horrible the situation is, you can have peace. In fact, perfect peace.

You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you: because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3

So, keeping your mind on the Lord and trusting him will give you peace. That’s because you have to take the anxiety and place it in his hands. Surround yourself with people who have hope. Distance yourself from negativity. Meditate on the scripture and find out what God is like. Reading a psalm each day connects you with the heart cry of the psalmist’s distress … and what the psalmist concludes at the end!

God sees everything. He cares for you.