032 Hope and Healing for a Wounded Heart

Episode Summary:

If you have ever felt broken, worthless, or unable to be used by God, then today is the perfect show for you.

(And by the way, if it sounds like thunder in the background, there IS thunder in the background. Both Suzie and I were in the midst of terrible storms when we recorded this. But the show must go on.

In this episode, I spoke with my friend, Suzie Eller, about how God can heal our broken places. Suzie and I discussed how we all have areas of brokenness in our lives, and so often God uses those areas of brokenness to become areas of ministry after God has come in and healed us. By inviting God into those broken places, God changes us, our direction, our heart, and even the future generation

Healing is always a process. While we never become completely healed this side of heaven, we can experience increasing levels of healing over time. Healing was exactly part of the reason Jesus came, and the closer we become to God, the greater the levels of healing we receive. The power of Jesus’s death on the cross is not in anything we do, but instead in what He did for us. By healing us in our areas of brokenness, we can then comfort others who may go through similar situations. Suzie discussed three things we don’t have to do for our healing: earn God’s love, do this alone, or run away.

Quotables from the episode:

• Whenever we see the word “will” in Scripture, that is a promise from God.
• Knowing God changes us. But it doesn’t just change us, knowing Him changes our direction, it changes our heart, and it changes the next generation.
• Healing goes on for a lifetime. We never become fully healed this side of heaven.
• Our story matters a lot, and our woundedness looks different from person to person, but Jesus came for us.  We begin the healing process by embracing the truth that no matter what it looks like, He has us on His heart, and He also knows how to heal us.
• Our woundedness can look very different from person to person. We can be wounded from people, from the church, from sin, from loss...
• Jesus knows where our woundedness lies and how to heal us. If we could have healed ourselves, we would have. Jesus meets us where we are.

3 Things You Don’t Have to do for Your Healing:

1. You don’t have to earn God’s love. You don’t have to go anywhere. He meets you right where you are.
2. You don’t have to do this alone. God’s got you. Just like when Peter began to sink, Jesus reaches out to help us.
3. You don’t have to run away. We run away from a lot of things. We run toward comparison and away from God. We run away when we think we’ve made a mistake. But we never have to run away from God. Jesus said He has come for us. If you are running away, you don’t have to run anymore. Just stop, turn around, and move toward Him.

• When God says “I have come…” or “I have overcome the world…” or “I will fight for you…” takes the pressure off our own shoulders, and puts the responsibility on God’s shoulders.
• Part of Jesus’s mission statement was to come to heal us.
• A relationship with God is a discovery process of becoming who He knew all along that we would be.
• Forgiveness is crucial in order to mend our heart. It’s hard, but it’s not something we have to do, but rather, that we get to do. It’s a surrendering process to what God wants to do in us.
• Forgiveness is opening the door to say, whether you apologize or not, whether you understand or not, I’m going to release you so that I can run wholeheartedly after who God wants me to be.
• We tend to ruminate in our thoughts on how we want situations to go. We give way too much mental real estate to unforgiveness, which keeps us from being free. That’s when we need to pray, “Lord, do in my heart what I cannot do for myself.” God will change our heart as we surrender it.
• Our heart is a little bit like a jigsaw puzzle, and bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness are pieces of the puzzle. As we hold onto those pieces, our heart (the puzzle) can never become whole until we give God all the pieces so that He can come in and mend and then it becomes a beautiful picture. How frustrating is it when we go to put a jigsaw puzzle together and we get to the end and one or two pieces are missing? It’s up to us to allow God to have all the pieces of our broken heart in order to mend it and allow it to become a beautiful picture.
• We are not limited by one chapter of our story. We can live in that one chapter, or we can look at that one chapter and see it as just a short portion of our life. That one chapter doesn’t have to be our destiny.
• Our broken heart doesn’t just impact ourselves. It also impacts those around us.
• We aren’t meant to heal alone. We can take advantage of good Godly counsel, and friends who will speak the truth in love. Go to the people who will shine a light into our dark places that will help us grow.
• You are worth fighting for. The one truth is: God sent His son for us so we can be free. He said you were worth fighting for.
• Imagine yourself in a competition in a boxing ring, but picture God in that ring with you, wearing boxing gloves to fight for us. He is greater than us, and knows the perfect way to help.
• The power of the cross is not in what we can do, but in what has already been done for us. He loves you like crazy. You are not alone. He’s in this with you.

Scripture References:

• Luke 4:18-19, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”
• Matthew 6:8, “Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!”
• Ephesians 1:19-21, “I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come.”

Recommended Resources:

• “The Mended Heart: God’s Healing for Your Broken Places” by Suzie Eller https://amzn.to/2KJoZpA
• “Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor’s Personal Journey Through Depression” by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader’s Choice Award https://amzn.to/2zB0e7J
• “Hope Prevails Bible Study” by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader’s Choice Award https://amzn.to/2yMdN46

Social Media Links for Host and Guest:

• https://tsuzanneeller.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/mended-heart-sample-1.pdf
• www.facebook.com/SuzanneEller
• www.instagram.com/suzanne.eller
• www.pinterest.com/suzieeller
• www.twitter.com/suzanneeller.com

For more hope, stay connected with Dr. Bengtson at:

• To order Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: https://drmichellebengtson.com/breaking-anxietys-grip/
• To order Hope Prevails: https://drmichellebengtson.com/hope-prevails-book/
• Website: https://drmichellebengtson.com/
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Radio Show Host: http://graceandtruthradio.world/shows/your-hope-filled-perspective/

Guest: Suzanne Eller

Suzanne (Suzie) Eller is an ECPA bestselling author, podcaster, and popular media guest. She co-hosts, along with Holley Gerth and Jennifer Watson, the More Than Small Talk podcast. Suzie has written 10 books and is writing her latest, Joy Keeper, which will be launched in 2020. She’s mom to three grown children and their spouses, wife to Richard, and “Gaga” to six beautiful littles under the age of eight. When she’s not writing, she’s with her family, hiking, cycling, kayaking, dancing with her littles at the Farmer’s Market.

Hosted By: Dr. Michelle Bengtson

Audio Technical Support: Bryce Bengtson