Hearts Can Change: Reaching Out - Living Free Every Day - November 20

HEARTS CAN CHANGE: REACHING OUT

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Living Free Every Day®
A ministry of LivingFree.org

Today's Scripture
"Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things." (Psalm 103:2-5 NLT)

 Thoughts for Today

Help and healing are available after abortion, but if we withdraw and hold the shame and guilt, we will never find that help. We need to reach out—but where should we reach?

Many of us have turned to the medical community and counselors to help our bleeding spirits. Certainly, there are legitimate uses of psychiatry and psychology for mental and emotional problems. A skilled practitioner can teach good mental hygiene, pointing out flawed thinking and suggesting ways to keep your thought life healthy. But when it comes to seeking counseling for depression and other emotional problems after abortion through the medical community, help can be hard to find. Even the most sensitive and skillful mental healthcare counselor cannot help healing a spiritual wound. Only God's truth can restore the bleeding heart and mind and soul.

Some look for help from the self-help shelf. Kim says, "I was willing to try anything if I thought it would bring me peace. So, I spent more money and time on books about how to live and take care of emotional wounds. I became an armchair expert on relationships and coping. I became a bubbling fountain of unsolicited advice. I was one of those women who gobbled pop psychology like candy, looking for a quick fix to relieve my pain and guilt. . .  I remained in a sort of spiritual quarantine, spending all my time and money on help for a condition I could not control when what I really needed was God's mercy and grace."

Consider this … 
Since I had an abortion, will I go to hell taking a life? How can I celebrate the idea of a child in heaven if I have forever forfeited my right to go there?

 Longing to know the truth about the hope of heaven and the reality of hell are universal needs, especially after an abortion brings you face-to-face with these questions. We need truth we can rely on when it comes to matters so personally significant.

Kim finally realized that without God's truth, even the best talk therapy or self-help approach does not bring healing. There is a difference between help and healing. Broken hearts need God's healing touch. Healing that will remove our guilt, bring us peace with God, and resolve the confusing grief over failing to prevent the death of a child.

Prayer
Father, thank you for the help I have received from my counselor. I realize now that although the counseling helped me some, complete healing can come only from you. Show me how to draw closer to you and open my heart to your love and healing. In Jesus' name . . .

These thoughts were drawn from …Cradle My Heart: Finding God's LOVE After Abortion by Kim Ketola. In this book, Kim seeks to help those hurt by abortion to grieve with hope. Sharing her story and the stories of ten other women, she reveals that God's love is not a casualty of the abortive process. With an appendix of helpful resources and a study and discussion guide included, Cradle My Heart is a timely and important resource for the hurting woman, the counselor, and the church.

With an understanding and empathetic voice, Kim Ketola exposes the hurt in your heart, reveals the healing in God's heart, and brings the two together to create a whole heart where restoration and celebration are possible. 

©Living Free 2018. Living Free is a registered trademark. Living Free Every Day® devotionals may be reproduced for personal use. When reproduced to share with others, please acknowledge the source as Living Free, Chattanooga, TN, www.LivingFree.org. Must have written permission to use in any format to be sold. Permission may be requested by sending an e-mail to info@LivingFree.org