We all have a deep need in our hearts from the moment we are born for the love of a father. Some of us find the love of an earthly father when we are young, some of us do not. Even with the love of an earthly father, we know there is something more that our hearts long for. That is the love of a heavenly Father, the only one who can truly give us an everlasting love and hope.

Twenty-five years ago I asked Jesus into my life and I found that everlasting love. But what I have learned over these past two decades is that the love of my Father only truly transforms my life if I surrender to Him and hand it all over - every part of me. It is taking my “orphan heart” and giving it to Him.

Surrendering our orphan heart (or even admitting we have an orphan heart) is harder than it seems. The book Healing an Orphan Heart beautifully depicts this struggle we all face. When I first received the book, I didn’t expect that it would resonate so deeply. It is a book we can all identify with. Many of us, even though we are following the Lord, are plagued with our orphan hearts. Simply put, we try to father ourselves instead of letting our true Father love and care for us. We are living in a culture riddled with orphan hearts. We struggle with fear, anger, impatience, anxiety, and the list goes on. But we don’t have to live this way. A deeper healing is possible. I love this passage from Healing an Orphan Heart:

“Living with an orphan heart won’t kill you. It’s not fatal. But it does make you limp. You cannot hide orphan issues very well. They rise up unexpectedly in your life to torment you. Orphan realities also spill out of you, seemingly at just the wrong time, negatively affecting the people you really care about. No, living with an orphan heart isn’t fatal, but the price you pay for pushing these things down and pretending they aren’t there may eventually be much more than you bargained for. Perhaps it’s time for you to deal with these issues which have followed you through your life, places in your heart which have caused you pain for such a long time. My promise to you, as you challenge the orphan strongholds within, is that the Father will be kind to you as you welcome Him into the messy, hurtful spaces where you’ve tried to live life alone. Be strong and courageous right now. Healing is coming! The Father loves you.”

What I love about Healing an Orphan Heart is that it doesn’t just scratch the surface of healing. It is an intentional look deep within your heart, and a clear path forward to bring restoration to your soul. It is about dealing with the heart issues you have faced for many years, whether it be anxiety, anger, fear, restlessness, and more. This book is an invitation to surrender your orphan heart, to stop trying to father yourself and continuing to struggle. I highly recommend this book if you are in search of healing today. And I want to pray for you as you give your heart - ALL of it - to Him.

Lord, I pray for the woman who is reading this right now and struggling with her orphan heart. Maybe she didn’t even realize it, but all along, even after accepting you into her life, she has been trying to Father herself instead of handing all of herself over to you. Help her to feel your immense love for her and give her the courage to take this next step in true healing. Amen

XOXO,

Ruth Schwenk