TAKE HEART (Week 1)
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[Hebrews 12:12-13 ESV] Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.
[Hebrews 12:12-14 NLV] 12 So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.
We often won’t be able to just make ourselves feel better, so we must learn to believe better instead.
“The highest form of prayer is to the goodness of God… God only desires that our soul cling to him with all of its strength, in particular, that it clings to his goodness. For of all the things our minds can think about God, it is thinking upon his goodness that pleases him most and brings the most profit to our soul.” — Julian of Norwich (1342-1416 AD), English theologian and anchoress
We don’t just find heart—we have to “take heart.” We have to look for God’s goodness in our lives, not because it is hidden, but because we are fallen. The positive has to be found; it won’t find you. To take heart, we must not feel foolish in looking yet again and again for what is good today.
We have agency in deciding how we engage our thoughts… We know old habits are hard to break, but the decision to dwell or not to dwell in thought upon certain things is the freedom secured for us by our vision of Christ. The Abba Evagrius (who died in 399 AD) taught: There are eight principal thoughts, from which all other thoughts stem. The first thought is of gluttony; the second, of fornication; the third, of love of money; the fourth, of discontent; the fifth, of anger; the sixth, of despondency; the seventh, of vainglory; the eighth, of pride. Whether these thoughts disturb the soul or not does not depend on us; but whether they linger in us or not and set passions in motion or not – does depend on us.” -Dallas Willard
Redirecting our thoughts and meditations directly affects the state of our hearts. What we dwell upon ends up dwelling upon us.
[Philippians 4:8-9 NLT] And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
Take HOLD
Take TIME
Take CARE
Take a BREATH
Take the LEAD
Take a CHANCE
Take TURNS
Make no mistake: God cares how you feel. He doesn't want you to lose heart. He wants you to have peace and joy.
[John 16:33 NIV] “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. –Book of Common PrayerO God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. –Book of Common Prayer
