I wrote Hope for the Heavy Heart: For the War-Weary and the Heaven-bent not only from my experience but from the training I received to be an individual, marriage and family therapist, having graduated with a Master of Divinity in Counselling from Tyndale Seminary in Toronto, Ontario in 1998.
The rough draft was written when I lived in a long-term care facility, when I was still deeply troubled about my condition and my future. The environment there was tantamount to living in a hospital with little quiet and no privacy; as well, nurses could be bullies and verbally abusive. Yet out of this troublesome place, I was given insights, words of solace and encouragement for anyone with a heavy heart, in the form of both poetry and prose. The book was originally penned for me, so that I would not suicide again from the wheelchair.
The following is taken from the introduction, from a portion entitled, “Some Scripture”.
Scripture tells us, “(M)an is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…” Death is a one-shot deal, and, I will argue, needs to be left in the hands of the Creator. “Through him (Jesus) all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” Just as you did not “create” yourself and had no say in your creation, the time of and the way of your death needs to be left to Jesus. Paul said, “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.” Paul also said that your body is not your own, but is God’s possession. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”
The following is an excerpt from the first chapter entitled, “Patience.”
God says, “Love is patient.” He lists “patient” first of all, for He knows how demanding we can be of Him, of others, and especially of ourselves. My roommate in the institution said, “God works slow but sure.” God knows how impatient we are to get blessings, to get to where we want to go. He is, in fact, trying to mold in us patient endurance and give us a character of love in His eternal, unfathomable way. Author, artist, speaker and quadriplegic, Joni Eareckson Tada says that it is this character that is the only thing we will take with us when we die.
But we want answers, nay, demand answers from Him that we in our limited finite vision think we must have. Keep in mind that God has an eternal perspective. What we want and feel we must have is not necessarily what He wants for us or gives us. We need to trust that He knows best in His eternality, something we will never grasp here on earth.
The following excerpt is taken from the second chapter entitled, “On Accepting: Part 1,” from a portion entitled, “Spiritual Warfare.”
Beware—it bears repeating that Satan is a subtle and formidable foe, albeit a defeated one. Remember that Jesus had to come as a vulnerable baby and die the most horrible and agonizing death willingly to counteract the work of Satan in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. We can embrace that life is difficult by educating ourselves through reading, studying, and meditating on the Bible as well as seeking His will in a dialogue of prayer that involves petition, thanksgiving, and listening to His voice. It is truly in clinging to Jesus that we find victory since He, once and for all, defeated Satan through the cross and subsequent resurrection.
In speaking to God in prayer, through Jesus, we can find peace:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
When I read this while I was in the institution, it dawned on me that this is a formula. As I sought Him diligently, He did, in fact, grant me His peace. Fervent prayer is so important; it can help us use wisdom and care in our relationships where the spiritual battle is often at its most intense.
You will find excerpts of the poetry from the book in the right side-bar.
