Dwight Fletcher | What causes heart problems?

WHEN OUR heart is wounded we cannot seem to find peace, and the effects of it spill over into every area of our life. A wounded heart occurs when someone or something brings hurt to our emotions. It could be because someone told a lie or slandered us. It can also happen through disappointment, or feelings of abandonment. There are many things which can wound our hearts.

Arguably, the most common cause of a wounded heart is offence from others. These wounds come from what people have said and done that have hurt us. When people we love and trust spread all manner of untruth about us and falsely accuse us, it hurts, and that can be stored up in our heart and wreak havoc in our life. “The words of a gossip merely reveal the wounds of his own soul, and his slander penetrates into the innermost being.” Proverbs 18:8 (TPT).

Even though we might not think about it, sometimes the things people have said, deliberately or not, cause wounds in our heart. It’s easy for us to ignore it, but those little wounds accumulate and eventually come out as outbursts of anger or violence. This is one of the tell-tale signs that we might have a wounded heart. A wounded heart can also be caused by what people have done. Many of us have been wounded by rejection and betrayal, and those actions have caused us pain and wounded us.

The wounds in our heart can also come from us through the guilt of our own sinful behaviour. Regret from our past actions can rob us of peace. Sometimes we seek forgiveness, but it might not be forthcoming. Our sins can wound our hearts and can be stored up and become like a burden. The Psalmist understood this and wrote, “Until you lift this burden, the burden of all my sins, my troubles and trials will be more than I can handle. Can’t you feel my pain?” Psalms 25:18 (TPT).

This burden can have physical manifestations, such as sleeplessness, nightmares, uneasiness, and lack of peace. When we look back and remember things we have done, we ask ourselves, “How could I have done that?” It’s like a constant regret in our life. It’s a guilt that never seems to let us go. It can be something that we did or didn’t do, and it keeps gnawing at us on the inside. It affects everything – our self-confidence, comfort, relationships, everything. These wounds can carry physical, mental, and emotional problems in our lives.

A wounded heart can also be the effect of trauma. This is an area that can be underestimated, but the traumas we experience can significantly weigh down our hearts. “What I always feared has happened to me. What I dreaded has come true. 26 I have no peace, no quietness. I have no rest; only trouble comes.” Job 3:25-26 (NLT). When we’re struggling with the effects of trauma it can feel this way.

For some of us, our lives have been built on trauma. We were traumatised during childhood, traumatised emotionally by some of the things we had to do to survive, even traumatised physically by abuse. The traumas we experience in life can assault our minds and affect us. It’s a significant driver. For example, a car accident can cause a fear of driving; the betrayal of a friend can cause us trouble in maintaining good relationships; an unfair dismissal can kill our passion for life. Whatever the cause of our wounded heart, we need to start by identifying its source.