Have you met people who seem to walk around with a chip on their shoulder, or conversely who just seem to walk around with joy around them? It’s all in the heart.
I watched a video where a man from Zimbabwe was sleeping in the back end of his friend’s truck on his way from a rugby game when a drunk driver hit them head-on. The three guys in the truck were killed, but the one in the back survived. Three decades has now come and gone, and this man still feels a large amount of guilt. Survivor guilt isn’t the only type of guilt people carry with them. We all at one point or another have some guilt for something tucked inside of our heart, some more than others.
On a similar video I found a parent who regretted having their child for having a pervasive developmental delay. I noticed something about regrets such as these, many of the parents were Canadian, as if not having the next Wayne Gretsky was an insult to the life they wanted. People regret other stuff, some regret not getting an education, or marrying too young or the wrong person.
What Should you do?
The best and simplest solution is to pray over these emotions and thoughts. God doesn’t want you to live with regret or guilt tucked in, but slowly dominating your heart space.
My friend Debbie in Atlanta is the type of person many would call a ray of sunshine. From the first time I started on to this prayer line based out of the US I noticed a feeling of lighter than happiness not just in my friend Ms. Debbie, but in many of the participants. If any of you could fill me in on this, I’m curious, or if you agree with me about a theory I will present below please chime in.
Tucked in to the hearts of many people I’ve met through my American prayer line, and the people I know from my own prayer line based out of my church is praise. No matter what a praise to God is on their lips, through the sunshine and the storms. Wouldn’t it be nice to overflow and not just tuck joy and praise in your heart?
Many of my church family members come from places such as Burundi, Zimbabwe, and many parts of the Caribbean. I have noticed that rather than taking joy in things that are material and of lesser importance the youngsters are taught from an early age to put more stock in God and service to Him. I have also noticed that many Canadian born people I have met tend to be much more somber, where as my friends down south are much more joyful. Why is that? My thought is that unlike here in Canada the church plays a vital roll in southern communities.
Gillie
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