The Mind & Heart Connection

You may already know this. If you do, consider it a friendly reminder: your mind and your heart are connected. Whatever is in your mind will eventually penetrate your heart when allowed to stay there. A great example is if you watch a scary movie, afterwards you think about the movie. The scary scenes play over and over again in your mind. Next thing you know you no longer feel comfortable alone in the dark and you're checking closets with a baseball bat in hand as soon as you get home. Those thoughts have created fear in your heart. Maybe your relationship with your ex has been like a really bad movie on repeat in your head. These bad memories have been lingering, marinating your mind. Your heart has had bitterness move itself right on in. Bitterness has no problem getting comfortable and taking up residency in people's hearts. It's actually looking for a place to land and call home. You might be thinking; what's wrong with that?! I don't have to "like" everybody. Santa Clause isn't the only one who has a naughty list full of names--we all have one. Let's talk about what could go wrong if bitterness is allowed to set up shop and stay awhile. Simply put: Google it. Pages and pages of articles and medical studies will be at your finger tips. You will find that it does nothing good for your physical, mental, emotional, or relational health.

Next, let's peer into God's word and see what it does for your spiritual health. Hebrews 12:15 tells us: "See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled." God is warning us that it causes trouble and destroys you. Mark 11:25 tells us: "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." Ouch! If we want God to show us grace and mercy then He expects us to do the same for others. God's grace and mercy is needed to get through Heaven's gates.

We've covered the affects of bitterness on our physical and spiritual health, now let's talk about the affect it has on our children. We all want good things for our children. We want them to have things like good manners, strong work ethic, faith in God, health, joy, etc. Us parents like to think that they get all of these good things from us, the people raising them. If we can pass good things on to our children, then why would we not expect we can do the same with bad? Does any decent, sound-minded parent say that they want their child to grow up to be bitter? No one I know would say that. Be careful what your child is getting from you concerning the good and the bad.

Reality Check: If you're okay with your child not liking the other parent, you are allowing bitterness to take up residency in your child's hear. Bitterness grows and can eventually turn its ugly focus onto You and not just your ex. The equation looks like this: Parent + Child + Bitterness = an Unhealthy Relationship, which can be harmful physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, etc.

You might be frustrated and thinking to yourself right now, "I have tried praying and thinking positive but as soon as I start to feel better, BAM! Something happens and my heart is embittered once again." Here is my reply to you; Honey, keep climbing that mountain! When you get bucked off, get back on again! Don't give up! Eventually bitterness will break up with you and leave. Continue to create an environment in which it can not thrive and it will break. Bitterness can not stay where it is not welcomed. Don't let negative thoughts stay. Throw them out as soon as they arrive at the door step of your mind.