The Heart "Out of Order"

"Emotional Heart Transplant" Nancy Thomas

Do you know who Nancy Thomas?

I watched the interview I linked to above a few weeks ago and I really resonated with the term she used as an "emotional heart transplant." For some people, this is in fact what they need- no fault of their own. Some people have been taught that the world is such a dangerous and painful place that they turn their hearts off. My heart breaks for theirs as God would call us to have a heart for in our fellow man. 

At first this concept sounds unthinkable, but it is something of a social deficit that is on the rise. I don't want to go backwards and point fingers; all I know is that we, the collective, need to work together to nip it in the bud. We need to change minds and hearts with an "emotional heart transplant" as Nancy Thomas suggests.

How do we do that? Isn't that abstract? Do I need to be trained?

 

Ways to be an "Emotional Heart" Surgeon: 

<3   Model emotions that they might be experiencing:  

"Wow, if this happened to me I might want to scream on the inside. I could understand it if you feel angry right now."  

<3   Express you own emotions in healthy ways:

"I'm so tired right now, you didn't deserve me snapping at you. That was me feeling grouchy."

<3   Show affection through good and bad moments:

"You don't need to be perfect for me to love you. I always want you with me and to give you a hug."

We can't assume that the kids (or adults) we know understand how to experience emotion. Many parts of life are learned through modeling and lots of grace. Even people who don't need an "Emotional Heart Transplant" are longing to hear words from an "Emotional Heart Surgeon."

These people are future parents-- they won't always be "kids." So let's feel the call to be surgeons to our fellow man. We might never know what kind of horrors they've lived through. Future generations are at risk if we don't act.

Do you have more suggestions on how to be a "heart surgeon"? What did you think of the video, if you watched it? Do you think the kids in the video could be mistaken for being autistic or as a different diagnosis?