Dear little troubled heart,

It’s okay. I know you’ve been a wreck lately and you’ve sort of lost your way, but I wanted you to know that you don’t have to stay here, in this anxious place. You see, your Maker is close by. He’s close at hand, even closer than you think and He hears you when you pray.

So, come on over. Be still, for just a minute, because I’ve got a plan. A plan to set you free again, and to make your soul secure, in God’s good grace. But, it’ll take some work. A fair amount of intention on your part. I know you’re ready.

So, first, just confess. Talk to Jesus and just tell Him the ways that you’ve spun out of control. Maybe it’s pride. Or fear. Or getting all wrapped up in yourself that you couldn’t even see you were all wrapped up in yourself. Maybe it wasn’t intentional, but it happened nonetheless, and now you feel stuck and you’ve started to despair.

Did you  hear that little heart? There’s a Savior who washes sullied hearts clean. With each new breath, you’ve got a brand new start. You can be washed all bright and new again. So, don’t stay there in that despairing place, there’s hope and healing now. Just come. Come and confess.

Then rejoice. I know it sounds a little Pollyanna-ish, but I don’t think it means what you were thinking it means. You don’t have to feign a happy face. And we all know there’s no switch to instantly make the glad appear and the sad go away. But, we can choose to put our hope in God.

We don’t have to stumble along here, with our eyes downcast to the ground. We can look up. And out. And set our minds on things above. Where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. (Colossians 3:2) We can see things from His perspective. For our Maker is a Redeemer and our inward life has been redeemed.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be  made know to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4-7)

And lastly, renew your mind.

Old habits are hard to break, and old ways of being can only be replaced by new ways of thinking.

So, do this one simple thing. Take some Scripture verses, start here even, with Philippians 4:8, and begin replacing the fear or the pride or the anger, or whatever it is that you’ve been struggling with, with new thoughts.

You’ll have to be diligent and you’ll have to carve out some time to do this. You won’t be able to sit for hours on Pinterest of facebook. But, it’ll do your soul good.

Don’t just entertain every thought that comes your way. Choose what you will think, and choose to meditate on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. (Philippians 4:8 The Message)

There is joyful life to be recovered. You don’t have to limp along tired and worn thin. Soul-depleted and burnt out anymore. You can walk right up to Jesus and lean into Him. He won’t hold you at arms length, little heart. He wants you to come. He aims to give you peace. And rest.