One time during worship at her hometown church in Minnesota, Heidi Mortenson, licensed marriage and family therapist, was grumbling and complaining about her husband. She believed he was the problem, not her. Her focus was on things he wasn’t doing.
When we get in these places where our troubles are our focus, we don’t see Jesus and receive the freedom He wants us to have. However, He needs us to trust Him with our problems. Remember that Heidi was in the middle of worship? Well, that’s exactly where you need to be when grumbling and complaining. God needs us to be vulnerable to Him.
As she was spinning in her negative thoughts, she heard a quiet whisper from the Lord. And this is what she heard: “Trust.” Immediately, her head shifted and the complaining and negativity left. Her perspective changed and the Lord showed her husband the way that He sees him. The love of God came over her and she felt like God was saying that the more she trusts her husband, the more she will know God.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (MEV) says to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” When we don’t trust in the Lord, we rely on our own understanding and fight for our own beliefs instead. This is exhausting.
God doesn’t want us to ignore our problems, hurt or pain. He wants us to trust Him with them. He wants us to vent, grumble and complain to Him. When we do this, God hears our pain and has compassion. He doesn’t punish us. The key here is to trust God to take the pain; we don’t hold onto it. We allow Him to take the pain and give us Him in return. When we do this, our relationships improve, and depression and anxiety goes away. Because where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom (2 Cor. 3:17).
For more of Strong Tower Mental Health with Heidi, listen to this podcast. {eoa}
Heidi Mortenson is a licensed marriage and family therapist and owner of Bridging Hope Counseling in Minnesota. She received her master’s in counseling psychology from Bethel University. She is currently attending Bethel Supernatural School of Ministry (BSSM) and is approved for ordination through Patricia King’s Women in Ministry Network. Her website is heidimortensonlmft.com.
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