There comes a time in our lives when we will experience some heartbreak. Whether from a failed relationship, losing a loved one, or rejection, many of our hearts have been broken.
Nothing about having a broken heart is fun. Nothing about having a broken heart feels good. It feels like you’ve been broken into pieces and left to dry. I have my own story of heartbreak. My heart has been broken several times, but the one situation that took the most out of me was losing two loved ones to domestic violence. In 2019, my brother called me and told me another relative shot my cousin and uncle, but this wasn’t just any relative. It was my cousin's brother and my uncle's stepson. You read that correctly; my cousin killed his sister and dad. This heartbreak shook my entire world.
I tried to grieve the loss of my cousin and uncle, but because a case was being built against another relative, this made it hard to grieve in peace. And the simple fact that he was still missing for several days after killing his sister and dad added fear to my heartbreak. This caused us to act in ways we usually wouldn’t have. I grew a fear of loud music because he played loud music while pulling up to the house. I developed a fear of hearing gunshots, whether it was in person or on tv. The anxiety and grief took over my body to the point where my right eye twitched for days. I was not ok. We were not okay.
My heart was broken, and I couldn’t do anything about it. I was silently suffering, and I desperately wanted to do whatever it took to improve and get back to my old self. After a couple of months, I knew I needed help dealing with this. After talking to a friend, she suggested grief therapy, and it helped for a bit, but I ultimately knew what I needed to do. After spending time in therapy AND with God, I slowly began to see and feel my heart being mended together. There are three things that God showed me when I decided to give him my broken heart. He also showed me how he felt concerning his love for the brokenhearted. The next three paragraphs are simple and may be a reminder to you, but just in case you find yourself at the heartbreak hotel, here’s what I want you to remember:
He is near the broken-hearted, understands our feelings, and helps us bear the burden of our hardship and sufferings. I read in an article that “Prayer is the place burdens change shoulders.” This means that when you pray, you lift your burdens off your shoulders and place them onto God’s shoulder. Matthew 11:28 speaks about giving our sufferings to God in exchange for rest. I don’t know about you, but I love to rest peacefully, so this sounds like a winner.
Not only is He near the broken-hearted, but He also embraces the broken-hearted. Psalm 34:18, David reassures us that God delights in the broken-hearted because it is his specialty. It…is…his… specialty. I had to say it twice so you could know I meant it. Just like we go to our specialty doctors for specific needs, God is the doctor for the broken-hearted and welcomes you with open arms. Not only is this his specialty, but he also offers an excellent exchange policy if we give it to him and allow him to use us for his good.
This next part may sound crazy, but God used several broken-hearted people in the bible. David was heartbroken because Saul and his sons were killed, Jeremiah was mourning the hearts of those in Jerusalem, and Naomi grieved her entire family, yet they were all used. God uses the broken-hearted because we are humbled and willing to open our hearts to God for guidance and instruction. He is more likely able to get through to us because we have waved the white flag and surrendered it all to him. Then and only then will we allow him to put us back together like a beautiful mosaic. Revelation 21:5 says he makes all things new and not new things. Do yourself a favor and allow him to make your heart new. And once we have been made new, I believe it’s only fitting that we be a witness to our sisters when heartbreak strikes them.
POV: You are Graced to Endure that heartbreak, and you are graced to help your sister get through it as well.
Action Steps:
Step 1. Listen to the song "Broken People" by Israel & New Breed.
Step 2. While listening, journal about your heartbreak and pray that God helps you endure this season with grace and love.
Securely,
Bshennell