Our heart’s posture is a learned thing.
We see the pain in our mother’s eyes as a young girl, and we decide to carry it alongside her. We decide that because we are here, it is just as much ours as it is hers. And we decide that she can’t do it alone. She needs us.
Her pain becomes part of our story.
And that is partly our place - seeking redemption for what fell upon her, unjustly and without mercy.
When I saw my mother cry, I felt that those were my tears too. And so I know when I attempt to protect my pain, I am attempting to protect her too.
But this is all below the water.
These aren’t conscious efforts, rather something I was born into.
[insert bag lady]
Moving through life, we endure suffering.
It’s part of being human.
And while we’re in the thick of guilt, shame, anger, pain, it can be so incredibly hard to let anything go. Sometimes we feel like we need to hold on. And for a time, we do!
Our body needs to tie everything we feel to a memory, so we refrain from invoking that pain again in the future. Maybe we’ll make a subtly different choice or maybe we’ll avoid a particular experience altogether.
That’s how we’re wired to survive.
But we all reach a point where those heavy emotions hurt us. They begin to interfere with healthy connections, with maintaining fruitful endeavors, and with deepening self-intimacy and trust. Wounds are meant to be understood and the pain, set free. But sometimes, we don’t actually want to let go.
The posture of our hearts reflect what we decide to carry. So, how do we empty our hearts?
Let’s talk about it.
Here is a step-by-step process to cleansing your heart and reclaiming your peace -
1. A Needy Heart
Can you reach a place of needing God?
First, we must get past ourselves.
We must let go of who we think we are to accept the vile that we have created, the raw heaviness inside. We must admit remorse for our imperfections, our rebellion, our pride. To be saved from the ways we have hurt ourselves becomes a deep need.
The feeling of remorse is critical - to carry shame for what we’ve done. It creates a profound neediness and an understanding that we can’t live lives worth living without God.
Remove that armored shell of protection and remember your tenderness, your vulnerability. Remember that you, too, have needs that no one but God can meet. Allow this neediness, palms open and outstretched, to make you empty.
2. A Submissive Heart
Can you speak your sin?
We must repent the wrong we have done, openly telling our wrongdoings out loud, for ourselves and our God.
The Sanskrit word for throat chakra is “vishuddha,” which means pure or purification. When we speak our sins through our mouths, our words travel through our throats, becoming purified.
This act of repentance is simultaneously making space for internal heart cleansing, kneeling only to the power of God, whose love is enough to wash us clean.
3. An Obedient Heart
Can you obey without question?
When we were small children, we sought the acceptance of our parents through obedience. When we did something wrong and we felt our parent’s disappointment or distrust, we immediately sensed a gap between us and our parent’s love/favor. We then tried to fill the gap with desired behaviors that ultimately led to re-connection/restoration.
This is the same process we follow with God, except over time, the behaviors we use to reconnect become mature and loving.
We desire restoration! We desire intimacy and a closeness with God, as though we are children again.
To be restored, we must be fully obedient to the process of this cleansing - willing to do the heart work, open to grace and salvation.
4. An Expectant Heart
We must expect that we will be used again!
We are called to carry through our perfect design and nothing can impede on that calling. When we give of ourselves, no matter what stage of life we are in, we give others the opportunity to experience our gifts and we give God the glory.
Trust that you will be used through creativity, community, motherhood, friendship! Despite past transgressions, we deserve to live in deep harmony with ourselves and with who we were created to be.
We must believe we are worthy to be used.
5. Evidence Of A Restored Heart
With a restored heart, we will begin to feel:
inspired
light
joyful
in harmony with our world
We will SHOW that we have inherited the fruit of the spirit.
Have you ever walked with God through this process of restoration? If so, what was it like for you? If not, do you have a needy heart?
I love you,
Diauni
Source: https://www.nancykaygrace.com/heart-posture-importance/
“Can you speak your sin? When we speak our sins through our mouths, our words travel through our throats, becoming purified” -- just whew. This hit me. The power of a clear throat chakra
“We must believe we are worthy to be used.” ✨💛🪽