Restless Heart Syndrome

Restless Heart Syndrome


Be still and know that I am God. Psalms 46:10


Bedtime is always welcome, but not always easy. The first issue is that my little fur ball of a dog is not always interested in letting me go to sleep. This is especially true if I  have worked a long day. He will either crawl up beside me and "oof" for attention, curl up on the opposite corner and "oof" so I have to sit up and pet him, or get just out of reach on the floor and bark. Resistance is futile, so finally I get out of bed and follow him into the living room. A lot of the time he goes to the door, wagging his tail, and then cuts between my legs and jumps up in my spot in the bed. Once he has settled in, the next issue comes along. My leg muscles tense as I am trying to relax. My feet twitch and I feel an irresistible urge to move my legs. Sometimes just as I am falling over the edge into sleep, they will jerk and startle me awake. The diagnosis is restless leg syndrome, and  medication has helped a lot, for which my husband is grateful. What has not responded to medication is my restless heart syndrome.




Symptoms of this disorder include dissatisfaction with life as it is, disappointment with God, and a sense of disquiet in the spirit. This syndrome was first seen in the garden of Eden when Eve was tricked by the serpent into believing that God was not being fair to them and they could have more wisdom and be like God. (Genesis 3) Another recorded case was seen in the people building the Tower of Babel, believing they could "ascend to the heavens," (Genesis 11) In exodus we see the tell tale symptoms in the Israelites who grew frustrated with Moses, asking in Exodus 14:11 ¹¹They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? One of their most dramatic episodes came when they had Aaron make the golden calf for them to worship, assuring  Moses that they had just thrown the gold into the fire and that was what came out! (Exodus 32).
 Cases of restless heart syndrome occur throughout the Bible and into our own lives. Risk factors include spiritual malnutrition (1 Peter 2:2) and lack of contact with the Great Physician. Recommended treatment is the following.


Be still and know that I am God. Psalms 46:10


For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” Isaiah 30:15


Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5


Life is hard and most times there are no easy answers for things we face. Saying that we should depend on God my sound like a pat answer, but that is not my intention. What I do know is that in my life when I have been upset with God and feeling adrift, I have come back to the point that Peter did, saying "Where else can we go? You have the words of life. (John 6:68) If you are hurt and your heart is restless, I am sorry.  It is a real problem and not something to be made light of. God, the one Hagar called THE GOD WHO SEES, has not forgotten you.

Freedom!

Welcome to Unseen today. It has been a week of ups and downs, or Highlights and Lowlights as we say at Faithworks. I was caught up in insecurity and I found the answer in a strange place. Read on.

FREEDOM!

Where the spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. 2 Corinthians 3:17

I saw them again this week - “free” tickets to the circus. We fell for it once. I took my children to the circus with their free tickets. My ticket was fifteen dollars.  We went in and sat in an empty section near the center ring. We were excited to find a seat so close to the action. After a few minutes a woman with a money belt come and told us that it would be four dollars apiece more to sit there. Rolling our eyes, we moved to another seat.  The circus started and there were other money making opportunities, such as elephant rides that cost twelve dollars and lasted about two minutes, and pictures with a sci-fi looking version of a cartoon character that gave me the willies.  I enjoyed the trapeze and high wire acts but the animal acts were my favorites. I was especially impressed with the elephants that were so easily controlled by a whistle and baton.

How do these great beasts learn so much control? I found out that when an elephant is very young it is tied to a post with a heavy rope that it is not able to break. As it grows it quickly becomes strong enough to break the rope or rip the post from the ground, but it is so used to being bound that it does not try to break free. By the time the elephant is full grown, it can be tied with only a thin cord.

This is a sad commentary on mankind and the way we treat animals but there is a deeper lesson to be learned. We are often held back in life by things that we can actually overcome. We may be held back by fear or by guilt or by self-defeating attitudes. We are vulnerable to these anyway and the Enemy of our souls is more than willing to supply them. One of his names in First Peter is the “Accuser of the Brethren.” For example I am filling out applications for jobs and every time I write down a job, he is in my ear saying, “Remember the things you did wrong at that job.” I am trying to counter with the things that I did well or things that I learned.

This is not something that we can overcome on our own, but it is something we can overcome. Guilt is a common trap that the enemy sets for us, but in Romans 8:1 Paul tells us that “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ has set me free from the law of sin and death.” Isaiah 54:17 tells us this good news. "No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me," declares the LORD.  We also need to remember that “greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.” He has promised to complete the work that he started in us. (Philippians 1:6)

Don’t fall for the lies you are told. “Gird you loins with truth” (Ephesians 6) and let God help you to break free from the things that bind you.