Diary of a Trying Heart (eBook)

Adrienne Brumfield (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
92 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3178-1274-4 (ISBN)

Infos

Diary of a Trying Heart is a heartfelt spiritual memoir that journeys through the fruits of the Spirit as lived in real life-through motherhood, marriage, grief, growth, and grace. With raw honesty and unwavering faith, Adrienne Brumfield invites readers into her personal walk with God, reminding us that trying hearts are still trusting hearts. This is a book for anyone who's ever felt stretched thin, spiritually weary, or simply in need of hope.

Adrienne Brumfield is a devoted wife, mother, and occupational therapist who writes from a place of deep faith and lived experience. Through every trial, she has learned to cling to God's promises and find purpose in the process. In her debut book, Diary of a Trying Heart, Adrienne shares the intimate journey of learning to live out the fruits of the Spirit amid the real tensions of life. Through motherhood, marriage, and moments of brokenness, Adrienne writes to encourage others to surrender daily, trust God deeply, and remember that He is working in all things - even the trying ones - for our good and His glory.

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Diary of a Trying Heart is a heartfelt spiritual memoir that explores the challenge-and beauty-of living out the fruits of the Spirit in everyday life. With honesty, vulnerability, and faith, Adrienne Brumfield invites readers into her personal journey through motherhood, marriage, grief, identity, and growth. When life feels anything but peaceful, how do we continue to love? To be patient? To choose joy? In this deeply personal and relatable book, Adrienne shares reflections inspired by Galatians 5:22 23, walking through each fruit of the Spirit love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control through the lens of real life. Each chapter offers encouragement and truth grounded in Scripture, reminding readers that spiritual growth doesn't happen in perfection, but in persistence. Diary of a Trying Heart is a testimony for anyone who's ever felt stretched thin, spiritually weary, or unsure of how to keep going. It's a reminder that trying doesn't mean failing and a trying heart is still a trusting heart

Textauszug

CHAPTER 1 Love

Love yourself

As much as we don’t want to admit it, to love is one of the hardest things for a human to do. But the Bible says love is the greatest and first commandment. And now that I think about it … that’s probably why it’s the hardest to live out. Because the enemy doesn’t want us to be so close to God that we are able to bear the most important fruit to Him. The enemy is going to try his best to make it so hard to love that we can’t even figure out how to truly love ourselves.

So how are you loving yourself? I’ll start …

I think loving yourself means you have to be selfish sometimes. I am a mom of two, and my boys require a lot of me. My day is a whirlwind of tasks from the moment I open my eyes.

“Mama, can you cook me breakfast?”

“Can I have some milk?”

“Mama, I just spilled my milk!”

“Can you change my shirt?”

“Mama, I wanted to play with that toy but he has it!”

“Can you turn on my show?”

“I want to sit in your lap.”

That is what the first fifteen minutes of my Saturday morning sounds like.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment.

And the second is like it: ‘you shall love your neighbor as yourself’.”

Matthew 22:37

I have learned to be selfish on Saturday morning by saying, “Mama is going to finish her coffee before she does anything else.” This is not because I am a bad mother and don’t want to do anything and everything for my kids, but because when I get to drink my coffee, I personally feel better.

I work a full-time job, and between school drop off/pick up, working eight hours, cooking, cleaning, and my kids’ bedtime routine, I have very little time for myself during the week.

Not too long ago, I changed my work schedule so that on Wednesdays I get off early. I have three whole hours in my day before I have to pick up my kids. My mom guilt tells me that I should pick the kids up early. But my selfish side says, “Go window shop (because who has the money to really shop these days), go get your hair done, go see your mom, go read a book …” Now it obviously does not always work out in my favor. But the Wednesdays that I do have those three hours to myself, I personally feel better.

As I mentioned, I have two kids. Both were C-section babies. If you have ever had a C-section, then you know what it does to your body. If you have never had one, I’ll just tell you, it is not cute. And no matter what you do, it’ll never look the same. You can say goodbye to those low rise bikini bottoms! I’ve always been one to watch my weight, and I honestly love eating healthy. But sometimes I look in the mirror or step on the scale, and I don’t like what I see. Then I realize I would rather be sitting on the floor or outside playing with my kids than try to fit in a thirty-minute workout routine and meal plan my life away. I do the best I can to live a healthy lifestyle. But on the days that I accept myself, I personally feel better.

You have to love yourself first to love your neighbor right. You are going to pour out what you are pouring in. If you don’t make time for yourself, take care of yourself, and accept the good and the bad in yourself … how will you be able to bear the fruit of love to those around you?

Love your neighbor

God isn’t talking about your next door neighbor, Billy, who checks his mailbox in his underwear. God is talking about the people you associate with every day. Let’s go back to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Again, for me, loving myself is finding time for myself, taking care of myself, and accepting myself exactly how I am.

Now if I replace “myself” with “your neighbor,” it would read like this … loving your neighbor is finding time for your neighbor, taking care of your neighbor, and accepting your neighbor exactly how they are. This means your coworker who is having a hard day and just needs a second to breathe, offer to help. This means your best friend who is struggling to lose weight or keeps comparing herself to the girls on Facebook, lift her up, remind her of her good qualities. This means your sister, the one that may disagree with something you said or has a side of her that can get under your skin, accept her anyway because no one is perfect. This means a stranger, someone that you see who is in need of money or food, help if you’re able. The point is to just treat others the way you would treat yourself. We encounter people every day and we have multiple opportunities to show God’s love like He commanded us to.

Love your enemy

By definition, an enemy is a person who is actively opposed or hostile (unfriendly) to someone or something. I am sure when you read this, you will automatically think of the “enemies” in your life. Maybe it is the “mean girl” at work. Or the family member who continuously hurts and betrays you. Maybe it’s someone living under your own roof. Or maybe you just think of the pure evil in this world.

“You should love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting anything in return.”

Luke 6:35–36

“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.”

Matthew 5:44

I know that, personally, I have experienced enemies in my life. I have had people hurt me and my family tremendously—to the point where I started having anxiety and questioned how anybody could be so ugly and selfish. It always feels like your enemies are some of the closest people to you. Sometimes it becomes this cycle of trying to mend things—just for it to eventually blow up again. The older I get, the more I realize that not everyone is going to be your friend and cherish you the way you cherish them. I have learned to be less of a “people pleaser” and more of a “boundary setter.” I don’t have to give you my all, but I don’t have to leave you with nothing. Boundaries are good and healthy.

Just recently I was having a conversation with one of these so-called enemies of mine, and they were telling me how they were deeply hurt by someone who was close to them. The things they told me that the person said were awful and some of the ugliest things I have ever heard. Before I knew it, I was lying in bed that night praying for my enemy. My heart, for once, wasn’t bitter towards that person, but my heart was actually hurting for them. I truly cared, and I hated that such a distressing thing had happened to them. I prayed that God would intervene and give them strength and guidance to handle the situation. I prayed that He would mend their broken heart.

After I prayed, I thought to myself … This must be what God means by “love your enemies.” He doesn’t mean you have to be best friends with them or let them run all over you. You don’t have to always please them or agree with them. But they are still a child of God, just like us. They are flawed and broken and require a Savior, just like us.

Instead of having bitterness and hatred in our hearts, we can choose to love them by setting a healthy boundary, by praying for them, by being there for them even if we don’t get the same in return.

If you are struggling with loving your enemies … take a second right now to stop and pray for that person. Even if you don’t know what you want to say. You will be surprised at the relief you will feel to have love for them instead of bitterness.

Love your spouse

I have been married to my husband for ten years. We are high school sweethearts, and so I have been with him most of my life. Just like any relationship, when it is fresh, it is good all the time. It is so easy to love that person. You are in the “honeymoon” phase (which is a real thing) and in your mind, nothing can tear you both apart.

“Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy.” Ephesians 5:22–33

Then the “honeymoon” phase ends. Things that they do irritate you, bills pile up, kids come, and you begin to forget why you ever thought they were perfect. And don’t even say your spouse is perfect, because we all know that isn’t true! Unfortunately, loving your spouse becomes more than just attraction; it also becomes a choice. It takes you back to your vows. For better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, through sickness and health.

Not too long ago, my pastor taught us that God’s love is “Agape love.” It is the most selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional love there is. It is the highest, most pure form of love, and it is given as a choice, not out of attraction or obligation. I believe this is how He wants us to love our spouse. Of course, I am very attracted to my husband and always will be. I...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 12.9.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Religion / Theologie ► Christentum
• ISBN-13: 979-8-3178-1274-4 / 9798317812744