Hello and Welcome to Two Hearts True Healing! I am your host Jacinta Wick. Season One has ended and we have passed through the summer pleasantly with a great and renewing break. Now we are getting ready to kick off Season Two with the school year beginning. We are happy to let you know that some really great things will be happening during Season Two. My team and I are busy preparing and planning and designing some great things. So stay tuned and watch the web. Officially a warm welcome to Season Two. Let’s get started.

This is Episode One an Introduction to Belonging, A Father’s Authority. In this love story, we have to start at the very beginning to understand the heart of the Father. We first looked at the presence of heart wounds and how they hinder our understanding of the character of God the Father and His loving plan for us to make us happy with Him. I’m not talking about “feeling good,” though that happens sometimes, but a deep abiding peace and acceptance of God and His gift to us.  It begins with His provision to us.  In Eden, God planted a beautiful garden filled with good things to eat and animals and refreshing streams, dew, and breezes. Adam was not happy alone and so out of Adam, God created woman. She was a companion and support and lover of her husband. They had the privilege of walking with God in the cool of the evening and growing in love as a threesome strong chord.

God wanted to provide so many good things for them. It says in scripture they were naked with no shame and had amazing preteronatural gifts in the original innocence. That is purity, understanding, a keen eye to see both physically and psychologically, immortality, presence and other things. He wanted us to dwell with Him in love and to remain happy with Him. This calls for God’s first action to preserve and provide for Adam and Eve. How did He do this? By setting a guideline to maintain that glorious vision. He wanted to direct us to good things and give us many good gifts. Here’s the catch. God does not want to force his goodness on us. He wants us to own it and choose it. In order to do that, what did He say to Adam and Eve? “You can eat any plant and fruit in the garden but not from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and The tree of life.” He also gave them dominion over the creatures. Obedience. It is a hard but necessary action in order for us to achieve some greater good. It is necessary to help us receive what He wants to give us.

What did Adam and Eve do? Instead of seeing all the good things God gave them, they gave into temptation. A lust of the flesh to make themselves gods. It was good to the eyes. In other words, they thought that God was holding out on them and denying them something when really He was protecting them. They chose to serve themselves versus God and we know the next part of the story. They knew shame, they lost the ability of keen sight. Their original gifts were veiled. This is passed onto us. Concupiscence. The weakness and proneness to sin. They now found they could hurt each other and not look out for each other. Why didn’t Adam use his authority and dominion to protect his wife? What happened? God tried to open the door to repentance and healthy owning up but they blamed each other and the serpent for tricking them into saying “I will not serve.” Fear was born and the creation which God had made now was no longer in harmony with us.

God had to do something so that we would not live in constant misery forever by eating of the Tree of Life.  “You shall die. You will have to work in toil and the ground is cursed. Child-bearing will be painful.” These are consequences that actually can work as our remedy. More guidelines, if you will, to depend on Him. To learn to trust him and to make reparation of sin. He kicked them out of the Garden where everything was easy in communion with Him and made them work in order  to try and awaken the desire to seek Him.

It is no different today. God set a structure, a hierarchy of grace for us to find a channel to Him. It starts with the father who has dominion and direction over all. How the father goes, so goes the family. In his bounty he gives everything to the wife; an overflowing of love so that their communion is fruitful. The woman supports the man and works in submissio submission. Under the same mission. Out of this comes children. God gives. We receive and out of that fullness we live in harmony and peace. But because of concupiscence, we fail often.

With children, comes the responsibility of caring and guarding and directing them to be the best versions of themselves and safe under the net of obedience. If Bob goes onto the road of course the father isn’t going to say, “You can play there if you want. It’s okay!” He’s going to shout, “Get off the ROAD! NOW! Look for cars before you do anything.”  Why? Is it arbitrary to say this? No. He wants Bob to be safe. When we say, “Johnny, bedtime is at 8:00.” Does that mean we don’t want him to have any fun? No. It means we want to teach him that he needs to care for his body and get good sleep so that he is fresh for the morning and can live happily. When we say, “Susie, let’s comb your hair now.” Is it to force our will? No. It is so that it keeps her hair from further tangling and pain later on. Not to mention teaching her the value of looking nice to show the temple of her body as an image of God. 

If we do not start young, when these children become teens and later adults, they will have no idea of how the world works or how to live peaceably and responsibly. When a child does not have stability of regulation he is very insecure and unhappy. He doesn’t know how to respond to the world and anxiety and heartache will be in store for him. He will have a very rude awakening. Another example is that a child with Autism needs a fenced-in backyard in order to feel safe in playing out on the lawn. Without this boundary, his anxiety grows and he is so frightened that he is paralyzed and can’t even move or play freely because of all the open space.

Does that mean we put our children in straight jackets? No. We also have to loosen up the reins so they can learn things on their own. Not a rumspringa of feelings and letting the passions go wild like the Amish but more along the lines of exercise so that the muscles get stronger. We give them more privileges as we see they can handle it. Every child is different and needs different things but the basics are still there. We even give these guidelines in different ways. For example, my eldest needs to learn by doing in her own independent way the consequences of her actions. It needs to be her idea. She also can take a few hard words to sharpen her irons. Privileges have to be taken away. Whereas my middle child needs a lot of role play, “Be a little squirrel and pick up your nuts.” For picking up toys. Instead of, “Pick those up now or you will have consequences!”  One hard word and she becomes a puddle. She needs more calmness and gentleness and more direction as she throws all caution to the wind. Yes, there is a time and a place for firmness, but we must calmly invite first, get harder on the second, and thirdly show them the consequence of not following through.

It is the same with God. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He wants to bring us to happiness with Him in heaven and he knows how to guide each one of us in a way that makes sense in a way that we can handle. Let me take you to a scripture passage that really hits home on the heart of God the Father and His authority. It is not easy to see on the surface, but as you dig deeper a whole lot is revealed on the authority of fatherhood and belonging. Turn to Luke 15:11-32. The Prodigal Son. 

• The father gives half the estate–so the son can find where he thinks his own happiness is elsewhere
• He squanders his wealth and suddenly knows hunger and famine comes 
• He needs to find something anything a job so he doesn’t starve feeding pigs a lack shows what He is missing
• He comes to his senses, Even my father’s servants are fed way better than this…he wanted to eat the pods and no one gave him anything he now understands provision and security (belonging)
• His father sees him a long way off and runs to him and kisses him
• Repentance, I no longer deserve to be your son treat me as a slave
• Celebration at the returning of his son, the father orders the servants, the very same who his son wanted to join, to provide in lavishness because he is merciful. He isn’t thinking about the fortune he lost but the value that his son learned that he was safe under his authority and provision

Let’s take a brief pause for a unsponsored add-a plug for The Amen app- I gain so much daily insight from logging into This FREE app. It helps me tune out distraction in prayer and draw close to Jesus. One of my favorites on the app is The bedtime stories. I just gleaned some insight for this episode from one of them.. Often they tie right in with my daytime leccio. This is not sponsored by Augustine Institute but I am sure they would endorse this if they knew it. It is offered purely out of love. Back to what we are talking about!

We long for this belonging at the very core of our being. It is a part of our spiritual DNA. If our heart does not belong, then we begin to get very restless until our heart rests in Him. (Saint Augustine) I want to close with this quote. “Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”

“Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path.”

― Brené Brown,

I look forward to journeying through this topic with you. Please know of my prayers. If something touched you I would love to hear about it! You can always contact me at twoheartstruehealing@outlook.com. Many good things will be happening this Season so stay tuned on the web and social media. Until next time, God Bless!