Those are the words I heard spoken by a friend of mine today. She is an older woman (and by older, I just mean older than me) who has faced and is continuing to face monumental giants in her life. She was talking about her own circumstances, but the truth of her words seemed so well said and clear that it helped me in my own.
First was the statement she made about when her heart aches, everything else falls apart. When I am heartbroken over something, it taints and affects every single aspect of my life. If my heart aches because I am feeling rejected or hurt, all of a sudden their every move has something to do with me. If my heart aches because I feel like I have failed as a wife, all of a sudden I am also a failure as a mother, as a daughter, sister, friend, etc...
I know that typically compartmentalizing things is not considered healthy. But I think in this case, it would be good to do so. If I feel bad about one area of my life, compartmentalizing it rather than letting it spill over into every other aspect would be the better option.
"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." - Proverbs 4:23
Then there was the prayer. "Lord, please pull the pieces of my world into some semblance of order again." Isn't that typically what it's all about? When we feel anxious or depressed it's usually because we feel like things are spiraling out of control. We just need to ask God to help us get back in line with everything. If I started every day by asking God to organize it in the best way He saw fit, I would save myself a lot of drama.
What a simple and effective prayer. I'm adding it to my emergency arsenal.
"Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me." Psalm 119:133