There's a blessing in having a broken heart. I know this may sound strange, but I know it to be true in my own life. In fact, I believe it is true for anyone following the spiritual path. For believers it is important to remember that Christ did not come to remove our brokenness. Anyone who thinks that following Jesus means you'll never cry or experience pain or illness or setbacks and difficulty is dead wrong! For Christ did not come to remove our brokenness but to dwell more fully within it. We are not blessed or broken; we are blessed and broken. Christ came to dwell in our brokenness; to make our broken places his dwelling place. So a broken heart with all of the grief and heaviness that comes with it is an opportunity to sink deeper into Jesus and for Jesus to sink deeper into us. For this I am grateful. Sometimes the only thing that can water the soil of our faith is our tears.
This is what I've been experiencing recently. Facing some heavy disappointment I turned to God in prayer and felt the love and comfort only God can provide. I said "God I lift my broken heart to You" and immediately felt God's response: God's abiding indwelling presence. When I look back over my life I can't imagine how I would have survived if not for God carrying me through the hard times. Over the years I've discovered that a heart that is broken has more room for God to dwell in. A broken heart can be the catalyst for intimacy and drive us straight into the arms of God where we realize everything we need can be found there. It reminds us of our need for God and allows us to rediscover the comfort and encouragement only God can bring. For this I am grateful.
So when you find yourself with a heart that is breaking know that you're in a good place because a heart that can be broken is a heart that can be touched, that can be filled, that can be moved by the suffering of others, by the sound of laughter, by the simple sensation of a gentle passing breeze. A heart that can be broken is the perfect place for God to dwell. We are often ashamed of our brokenness, our weakness, our shortcomings. Not God; for our brokenness is the place where God desires to dwell the most. From God's perspective it's the best room in the house! It's the place that God can mend, heal, restore and cause to expand. You are blessed even in your brokenness so allow God to dwell in your broken places. It will make all the difference. It has for me time and time again and is so even now.
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God". 1 Corinthians 2:3-4
Following the Way,
Kevin
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this is also a teaching on humility, for you cannot know the extravagant, limitless love of God, until you finally see yourself so far from deserving it, and yet receiving it anyway. Likewise, the majesty of God's grace shines through the depth of our sin onto which he pours it as balm.
ReplyDeleteFor this we have much case for humility, says Julian of Norwich. For this we have much cause for rejoicing as we gaze on our loving Creator.