Restoring Hearts Blog

“Confession is the first step to repentance.” Edmund Gayton After Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, they hid from God’s presence. They were ashamed and feared God’s response so they tried to avoid Him. I have experienced the same effects of shame, hiding who I am from God and others when I’ve sinned. But God has given us the gift of repentance through which we can hide behind Christ and His work on the Cross. We no longer need to fear God’s response when we sin. Inst

“When we really understand who God is, we begin to recognize who we are. Revelation about Him leads to revelation about ourselves.” Katherine Ruonala The more I get to know God, the more I realize how little I know about Him. Understanding who God is and His attributes, leads me to understand my identity as His child. In order to live out of that identity, I need to believe those truths within my heart. Then and only then, can I possess my true identity in Christ. For years m

“You can give up the need to compete in the world-when you accept being complete in Christ.” Ann Voskamp For years my shame kept me from feeling significant and valued. My low self-worth prevented me from seeing and believing who I am through God’s eyes. I was not convinced in my heart that I was unconditionally loved and accepted by God. I knew it in my head, but that truth needed to drop down eighteen inches into my heart. My heart said I was not complete in Christ and what

“Are you getting more value from Him or from your assignment?” Eric Johnson I have been on a writing adventure with God for many years. He called me to write when my heart was covered in shame and my identity was locked into performance. I liked myself when I was productive, pleased people, and kept many balls juggling without them crashing to the floor. Up and down my security went, like a roller coaster, when it was based on what I did and how well I performed. Fortunately,

“To know ourselves loved is to have the depths of our own capacity to love opened up.” John Main The other day I read Matthew 22:37-39 where Jesus responded with the greatest commandment. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” To love my neighbor as myself requires that I first love myself. I can only love others as muc

“Honesty gives others the freedom to be honest as well, opening up the possibility of deeper connection and friendship.” Shauna Niequist After church a friend came up to me and expressed her appreciation for my vulnerability in my blog posts and how that makes people trust me. She was inspired by my cancer diagnosis post titled “Game On.” I told her how recently God has asked me to go deeper in sharing my heart and His heart with my blog audience. He wants me to leave the sh

“We were all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.” Marianne Williamson “You were meant to be seen. It’s time to come out from the shadows. No more hiding.” My daughter Lindsay spoke those prophetic words over me while home for the holiday. I wept because they resonated deep within me, hitting the bulls-eye of my heart. During worship I mulled them over and over in my mind. I began to analyze why I struggled with thi

“The truth of God reflects the character of God. The words I hear from God are healing words that invite me to greater intimacy with Him.” Thom Gardner When I was a little girl munching on my food at the dinner table, I would declare that eating is the funnest thing to do! What I enjoy most in life today is hearing the voice of God. You might think that’s odd, but God created me with a passion to be intimate with Him. You can’t have a close relationship without communication.

“The best news the world ever had came from a graveyard.” Anonymous The greatest day in history took place over 2000 years ago, the day when Jesus Christ conquered sin and death. Easter signifies hope. Though my sins are like scarlet, Jesus’ death and resurrection turns them as white as snow. (Isaiah 1:18) All of this was made possible because of an unblemished lamb’s sacrifice on our behalf. Easter also represents the great exchange. It was Jesus Christ’s blood for my blood.

“Prophecy is an intercept from the mind of an all-knowing and all-seeing and all-powerful God.” Joel C. Rosenberg Fear, shame and unbelief have been like iron chains clamped around my wrists and ankles, causing me to shuffle along in life. God has often used prophecy to unlock my chains. Life-giving words straight from the heart of God have jump-started my heart to embrace emotional freedom. The summer of 2001 found me going to Syria, back to my familial roots of origin, on a

“Shame is a soul eating emotion.” C. G. Jung I loved dressing up when I was a little girl. I’d put on various outfits, Mom’s jewelry, hats and the ultimate…high heels. My parents called me the Dress-Up Queen. I don’t remember playing different roles with each of the outfits. I just enjoyed looking good. Do we ever grow out of dressing up and pretending we’re someone other than ourselves? Our outfits may change, but hiding behind various masks makes us think we look good enoug

“Words which do not give the light of Christ increase the darkness.” Mother Teresa The famous line, “You’re killing me Smalls,” from the 1993 movie, “The Sandlot,” accurately depicts what happens when unkind words are spoken to one another. Scripture very clearly states in Proverbs 18:21, “The tongue has the power of life and death.” The words we speak will either produce life and vitality or they will produce death and destruction. Our tongue can articulate words which may c