Scars of the Heart

By Lindsey Alaine

Do you have 2 hours to invest in your current or future relationship?

Scars of the Heart was written to bring clarity to the confusing world of Christian dating for young women. This valuable handbook is perfect for the busy student or hard-working graduate who has never dated, is currently in a relationship with (or without) potential for marriage, or has just gone through a devastating break-up. This is the book every parent wants their daughter to read.

It addresses important issues that are rarely talked about while focusing on real-world circumstances that get couples in trouble over and over again. Learn how to uphold Biblical values while setting yourself up for a lasting marriage.

You will gain vital knowledge in the following areas:
-Dating as a Christian using guidelines from the Bible and personal experience
-Choosing a man worthy of your time and emotions
-Learning how to forgive and move on after a breakup
-Battling temptations while dating with passion
-Protecting your relationship from Satan’s schemes by applying basic steps right away
-Preparing for a worthwhile, Christ-centered relationship that will last a lifetime
-Includes a bonus chapter about life with Mother-in-laws!

Royalties are donated to Living Water International.

• Language: English
• Publisher: CrossLink Publishing
• Release date: Jun 4, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386590866

Book preview

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Scars of the Heart

Scars of the Heart

USING DISCERNMENT TO AVOID

YOUR WORST DATING NIGHTMARE

Lindsey Alaine

CrossLink Publishing

Copyright © 2018 Lindsey Alaine

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed Attention: Permissions Coordinator, at the address below.

CrossLink Publishing

558 E. Castle Pines Pkwy, Ste B4117

Castle Rock, CO 80108

www.crosslinkpublishing.com

Ordering Information:

Quantity sales. Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the Special Sales Department at the address above.

Scars of the Heart/Alaine —1st ed.

Scripture quotations unless otherwise indicated are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright © 2000; 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

To my husband, the man who I continually fall for & is always there to lift me up.

Contents

Introduction

Unhappily Never After

The Perfect Storm

My Strong Tower

Finding Freedom

Proceed With Caution

The Microbiologist in Us All

RESPECT

The Piggy Bank

Mother-In-Laws.

Yes, I’m Going There

Hello, My Name Is:

This Is True Love

Appendix

Bibliography

Index

About the Author

Introduction

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

- Romans 12:2 ESV

Scars of the Heart was written solely for the purpose of sparing you from the kind of blindsided heartbreak that I experienced. At times, it was excruciating to relive everything I went through in my first engagement. But then it became reinvigorating to reminisce on how God changed my perspective on love and relationships. The great news is that you can avoid that type of pain by applying a few practical steps that I learned along the way to your dating life. This is my testimony and it is meant to be shared (Titus 2:3-5). It is a display of how God moves mountains in our lives so that you can be reminded of His wondrous ways and how tenderly He cares for each beat of your heart. Relying on God’s Word, I have neatly packaged a valuable handbook for you to quickly read through so that you can prepare for a worthwhile and Christ-centered relationship that will stand the test of time. Trust me. You owe it to your future self to take some time to plan for a successful marriage and enjoy dating to the fullest.

This book is about Dating. That daunting D-word. We all go through it, but how do you navigate around the jungle of emotions and build something that will last ‘til death do us part’? How do you choose someone worthy enough to enter into the uncharted waters of your heart? What happens if it doesn’t work out like you thought it would and what do you do when you are left brokenhearted? What are some basic things to set in motion while dating, so that you can have an amazing marriage that Satan can’t destroy? These are some of the areas that I’d like to explore with you as I hope to help you discover discernment in dating.

You may be wondering: what exactly is discernment? I chose this word in particular because it carries more weight than just being smart on your own. Combining definitions from Webster and Google, I can present to you this: Discernment is gaining spiritual wisdom and understanding in order to comprehend what is obscure. Do we need spiritual direction when it comes to dating? Without a doubt! Dating is as obscure as it gets! So to my dear reader who is searching for your own Prince Charming, I hope learning from some of my mistakes can minimize the chances of you doing the same. It is time to learn how to be discerning in your dating life with some direction from Scripture, some common sense and a lot of prayer!

I have referenced numerous verses throughout each chapter which you can find written out in the index. You also may choose to use your personal Bible and highlight key verses in it as you go. Understanding the content around any verse is crucial to grasping God’s purpose for choosing the exact words that He does in the Bible. Feel free to use this as an opportunity to dive deeper into understanding Scripture and its relevance to your own life.

Unhappily Never After

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. - Proverbs 3:5-6

I grew up in a family of five as the youngest. I have always attended church and accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior at the age of