Eggs in a Basket

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23

Sometimes life can seem overwhelming and there just doesn’t seem to be anyone who can help. Ever been there? I remember a time in my marriage when I felt very alone. My husband was busy with work and a dissertation, and he had no spare time or energy for a wife whose emotions were as fragile as eggs. It seemed like every time I shared a hurt or emotional need with him, he just dropped the “egg.” Splat. And I had a whole basketful. To be fair, he was exhausted, and I was needy. Not a good combination. I shared in a previous Musing, entitled Bitter Roots, how a mentor taught me to turn my bitter thoughts into prayers.

At the same time, she helped me see that I could not, in this season, depend on my husband to safely carry my emotions. He just couldn’t do it. In fact, if I’d had more maturity, I could have helped him in his time of need. But I was too wrapped up in my own needs to see his.

So … what do you do when you are emotionally fragile and your “go to” people are “gone”? It’s important that “above all else, you guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:3).

What if, during that time of emotional neediness, when my husband was busy, I had befriended a kind man? Oh, what a disaster that would have been! We must be so very careful in a time of neediness, to guard our hearts from the wrong kind of help. When we are emotionally vulnerable, our walls have to be up extra high against the temptations that come.

What if, I had turned to ungodly counsel? What if I had listened to women who urged me toward resentment? I didn’t need vapid sympathy. I needed truth.

So … where do you go with your emotional “eggs”?

God Himself. It was actually good that I had to depend on my God for help and not on a human being. Through time in His Word and many days of crying out to Him, a relationship with Him was forged that was far stronger than it would have been had a human being pampered me and met all my needs. Still, God blessed me with …

A counselor/mentor. I thank God that I took my complaints and shared them with someone bold and godly. How blessed I was with a woman wise enough to point me to Christ. Someone to speak truth to me—the truth that I had a God who loves me; that I had a roof over my head and plenty to eat; that I had two wonderful, healthy little girls who light up my life with joy; and a husband who was working very hard to provide for us so that I could stay at home with them.

A solid Bible study group. I’m eternally grateful for my group during that time of loneliness. The study kept me in the Word, where I was reminded of who God is and whose I am. Spending time with individuals who know and love God helped me remember where to turn. Listening to their prayers reminded me to pray.

Are you feeling fragile? Don’t let hard times be a way your enemy gains a foothold in your life and tries to bring you down. Remember that God is always able to hold you, always available to listen, to counsel, to love. He is never too busy. Never in a hurry. And He knows your needs before you even ask Him.

Heavenly Father, thank You that You are always near. How grateful I am that You provide a safe place for me to run when I feel fragile. Forgive me, Lord, when I expect humans—even good ones—to meet all my needs. Help me to always guard my heart. It’s Yours, Lord. Help me to be wise in times of loneliness. Help me always to run toward You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

You are loved,
Sharon

Sweet Selah Ministries

Vision
To encourage a movement away from the belief that “busy is better”
and toward the truth that stillness and knowing God matter most—
and will be reflected in more effective work and service

Mission 
To offer resources and retreats that help women pause (Selah)
and love God more deeply as they know Him more intimately (Sweet)