Let’s imagine our hearts are like a ball of twine. When we are born, the ball is neat, andthe twine soundly bound, all tidy, everything in its place. The ball is round and perfect in this state, as it is. Somewhere in childhood, the end of the twine becomes loose from the ball. It starts to pull and fray. A person, an ideology, or a home situation can all be sources of active fraying upon the twine’s end. Over time, the twine gets pulled further and further, several inches out, frayed down to a single thread at the endmost inch. The once intact ball at birth is relentlessly unwinding. This may be a conscious or unconscious occurrence, but nonetheless it is happening in real time to a real human spirit. Quite literally, this soul’s heart has changed and taken on new proportions and shape. Life has rearranged the heart’s strings.What does the unraveling do to the heart? Well, one would presume things feel less secure, less grounded. That roaming and shredding thread is no tight fishing line. It has been reduced to near air; anything with a force beyond breath could feasibly snap it. The unraveling can create weighty pain which can affect the heart’s life forevermore. The hurt of the morphing heart string can drive the human to all manner of negativity, whether mindset, addiction, or futile soul hole-filling with false love.So knowing this experience is not only possible, but probable, how do we help the pulled heart string? We can’t wind it back up, tuck it in and pretend it doesn’t exist. Such attempts are fruitless. However, we can acknowledge the existence, name the origin, and begin the careful, tedious work of acceptance. We hurt and heal, message on repeat. We address and accept, message on repeat. This can be a lengthy, arduous process, but one that must happen for us to have a life of genuine happiness and emotional health.Where in Scripture does a message appear of healing in this area? Psalm 147:3 reveals,“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” The Great Healer can hold that frayed thread, whisper mercy and grace over it, and keep it close. We are never alone with our pulled heart string. The Maker of our hearts can most certainly handle the tattered twine. After all, mercy shows up mightily in dire circumstances. Most importantly, God wants to hold our hurt for healing to happen.