Why we play it safe with our heart… and the reason we shouldn’t

For most of my life, I’ve had a “one-strike-and-your-out” policy in relationships.

I had been hurt so many times – and didn’t want to feel that kind of pain again – so I built a thick wall of protection around my heart. I became hyper-vigilant, standing guard over my deeply tangled self-worth with ferocity.

~ And when someone got too close.

~ When I struggled to trust motives.

~ When something didn’t feel right.

~ When my love wasn’t matched.

~ When someone wanted more than felt safe.

~ When it seemed I’d shared too much.

~ When I began to question loyalty.

~ When trusting felt too risky.

~ When someone said something that tightened a tangle.

… I added another layer of bricks.

No questions. No looking-back. No regrets.

Even knowing they were probably well-intentioned, it just seemed safer to walk away.

But in my effort to protect my wounded heart from another arrow, I missed out on the kind of community that God created me to have.

You see, when we don’t invest our time and heart… when we get stuck in unforgiveness… when we lump everyone into the same group as those who have hurt us… when we decide no one is trustworthy… when we’re always waiting for someone to fail us… we won’t find intimacy with others.

We won’t be known.

We won’t be seen.

We won’t truly be loved.

And that’s no way to live.

Ask God to untangle those places that are knotted up with hurtful memories.

Because you are worthy of love.

And girl, this world needs the love you have to offer.

PRE-ORDER today! Available June 2.

“Carey Scott is a fresh voice for women. Her straightforward, authentic approach to life and her willingness to share even the deepest parts of it combine beautifully with her love for the Lord. This book made me laugh and it made me cry, but most importantly it reminded me that even in the darkest times and places in life, my hope can be found in Christ.”

—Jill Hart, founder of Christian Work at Home Ministries; author of Do Life Different