I remember the first time someone asked me why I wear my heart on my sleeve. I was very young and did not know what it meant but I remember the look on the person's face and could tell that it was not necessarily a good thing. I asked around to find out what the phrase meant and that was the first time I remember feeling badly about how I handled my negative emotions. On the other hand, I thought, "How else are you supposed to act when you're mad"?
For those of you who do not know me very well, you will get to know me more and more with every post. I did not grow up in a house surrounded by a white picket fence with housekeepers and people waiting on me hand and foot. I didn't even grow up in a poor home that was rich in love and positive reinforcement. I grew up in an extremely dysfunctional home with one of my parent's struggling with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia that refused to take medications. The second parent struggled with severe depression. As the eldest child, I was exposed to many things that children should never be exposed to. Neglect, physical and verbal abuse, harsh and unkind words were all a part of the hostile environment that I called home. I learned to protect my four younger siblings. But, having to do that at such an early age and not knowing how to deal with my emotions in a healthy way, I turned to anger, bitterness, and resentment. As much as I wanted to protect my siblings, I also hurt them as I did not know how to deal with the negative thoughts and the internal turmoil and pain.
What does the blog title "My Heart For Your Sleeve" mean?
If you've ever struggled with keeping your emotions in check, not taking things personally, displaying your negative emotions for everyone to see, saying hurtful or mean things without any regard of how the other person may feel, or allowing the things of your past to control your current feelings, amongst other things, then this blog is designed to challenge you and help you walk it out in a way that is practical, applicable, and realistic. And, if that's not you, you may know someone that needs the information that will be disclosed here. Heck, it may even give you another perspective and you may get to understand that person!
If you find that you can relate to these posts as emotional issues are brought up, I pray that you would release unto God the tender areas in your life that may need some guidance and TLC. Wearing your heart out on your sleeve is not safe. Think about your physical heart for a moment. Why is your heart placed inside of the rib cage? Without the rib cage's protection, your heart would be exposed to life threatening injuries. The rib cage is the heart's safe place. In the same way, your emotional heart, where your innermost feelings live, is exposed to emotionally and mentally damaging blows if it is not protected! I am trading my experiences with you, my hurts and pains, my heartaches, my struggles, and my issues so that God could use them to help you protect, strengthen, and build a safe place for your heart. That safe place is in God's hands, your emotional rib cage, if you will. In exchange for my heart, I pray that you would give up your sleeve, that tender place where your raw emotions dwell and willfully make daily decisions to adjust and realign to allow God to help you build a rib cage for your broken, tampered with, or shattered emotional heart.
If you find that you can relate to these posts as emotional issues are brought up, I pray that you would release unto God the tender areas in your life that may need some guidance and TLC. Wearing your heart out on your sleeve is not safe. Think about your physical heart for a moment. Why is your heart placed inside of the rib cage? Without the rib cage's protection, your heart would be exposed to life threatening injuries. The rib cage is the heart's safe place. In the same way, your emotional heart, where your innermost feelings live, is exposed to emotionally and mentally damaging blows if it is not protected! I am trading my experiences with you, my hurts and pains, my heartaches, my struggles, and my issues so that God could use them to help you protect, strengthen, and build a safe place for your heart. That safe place is in God's hands, your emotional rib cage, if you will. In exchange for my heart, I pray that you would give up your sleeve, that tender place where your raw emotions dwell and willfully make daily decisions to adjust and realign to allow God to help you build a rib cage for your broken, tampered with, or shattered emotional heart.
Disclosures
I have prayerfully considered starting this blog because I will be exposing things about myself that I do not necessarily enjoy sharing. I considered my family's feelings about this. I'm concerned that any of them may get offended. However, my desire to offer my heart for the sleeves of those that are hurting far exceeds any offense that some may take. My intentions and hope for this blog are that as I share my heart with absolutely no reservations some would, in turn, place their emotional heart in a safe place, God's hands, and NOT their sleeve. And, if that's you, you can keep your sleeve! Tops are still required in most places, but you can always go sleeveless. (You will soon find out that sometimes I crack myself up!!!) Ha!
Change may happen overnight, but it is highly unlikely. It took years of hard work, messing up, getting back up again, and I still don't have it all together. Reshaping and rearranging my thoughts to align with the Word of God is still a daily challenge. I will be painfully transparent and brutally honest. The issues I will discuss here may or may not be to your liking, but it once was my reality....the good, the bad, and the ugly. God is NOT finished with me yet! I am confident that God will use this blog and the things that are shared to bring healing and restore damaged hearts. Care to walk this journey with me? It will be the most challenging, most difficult, but most rewarding experience!
Change may happen overnight, but it is highly unlikely. It took years of hard work, messing up, getting back up again, and I still don't have it all together. Reshaping and rearranging my thoughts to align with the Word of God is still a daily challenge. I will be painfully transparent and brutally honest. The issues I will discuss here may or may not be to your liking, but it once was my reality....the good, the bad, and the ugly. God is NOT finished with me yet! I am confident that God will use this blog and the things that are shared to bring healing and restore damaged hearts. Care to walk this journey with me? It will be the most challenging, most difficult, but most rewarding experience!
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:26 NIV)
P.S. I would love to hear your feedback on topics you would like to have addressed here. Please feel free to comment below or email me directly at myheart4yoursleeve@gmail.com.
