Let's face it. Most of us at one point in time have experienced a
broken heart. Whether it was from the end of a relationship, loss of a loved
one, betrayal of a friend, we all have found ourselves hurt. And it is painful, extremely painful.
I can literally attest to the heart wrenching painful
feeling in the center of my chest as if the very life of me was being pulled
out. It is not a good feeling, at all. That may sound a bit dramatic, but at
the time that is exactly how it feels. It hurts. And at that moment no
comforting word or humorous gesture can take that feeling away.
I recently finished a book by Dr. Charles
Stanley called, The Blessings of Brokenness. This book helped me in a
tremendous way look at brokenness in a way I had never looked at it before. I
had deep hurts in my heart and I wanted to know why?
Why would
God allow His child that He loved so much experience such pain? How could He
sit there and watch me suffer? Surely He was punishing me for something I had
done. I deserve this. But what did I do so wrong to deserve this?
These are
just a few of the many questions that circled in my head while I was going
through. I needed answers and decided to seek God's face in prayer and
scripture to find the answers to these questions. Pastor Stanley said something
in his book that perplexed me. He said,
"People
who are genuinely broken by God know great joy."
Having
experienced the pain of a broken heart, I could not understand what joy could
come out of such a painful place. It made no sense. So I went to the Word of
God for myself to understand how this could be true. God led me to 2Corinthians 4:16-18 which
has become one of my favorite scriptures. It says,
"That is why we never give up. Though
our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present
troubles are quite small and won’t last for very long. Yet they produce for us
an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don't look at the
troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have yet not
seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last
forever."
I was relieved! There is indeed a purpose in our suffering.
As a
result of suffering, renewal takes place. God uses our brokenness to break us away
from what may hinder us from receiving all that He has in store for us.
Brokenness encourages us to change; it humbles us and encourages dependence upon
the Lord. He breaks us to build our endurance, strengthen our faith and so that
we can help someone else get through something similar. My Dad once told me, “Everything
we go through is for someone else.” Once I understood the multifaceted purpose
that God had for breaking my heart, I was able to lean on Him, allow Him to
heal the hurt, repair the brokenness and teach me the lesson He wanted me to
learn as a result. I felt better knowing that God allowed those situations to
take place so that I may become stronger; and knowing that I had the ability to
help someone felt good.
God does not leave us alone in these painful times even though it
may feel like He’s nowhere near. “God heals the brokenhearted and bandages
[our] wounds.” Psalm 147:3. He wants you to look for Him in your troubling
times. He wants to comfort you and heal your broken heart. He wants to break you
from your self reliance into full dependence on Him.
Changing my perspective that God was punishing me, to the
perspective that God was at work in me, kept me from being angry, bitter and
hostile. Because of that, God was able to fully heal my heart and replace that
hurt with joy. Joy in knowing that God was perfecting me.
Although I couldn't see it at first, my brokenness has contributed
to my growth and I have God to thank for that. Broken hearts hurt, but if we
allow ourselves to see past the pain and see the work that God is doing in us,
we can welcome restoration.
“…whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for great joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let
it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in
character and ready for anything.” James 1:2-4
Love.
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