My attempt to delicately balance my salad bowl with my food plate failed. The salad bowl crashed onto the dining room floor, sending salad and shards of the bowl everywhere. I was about four years old, and I was mortified.
It was always a treat to visit Nana in her apartment complex (looking back, an assisted living care facility for seniors). Nana was my great-grandmother. My parents and I were visiting her, and I had called attention to myself in a bad and clumsy way.
But my parents didn’t get mad. In fact, neither did the dining room facility staff. On the contrary, they rushed over to make sure I was okay and assured me that dropping my salad was okay. (I don’t remember if I dropped everything – or just the salad. It’s been a few years 🙂 ). They quickly cleaned everything up.
And they got me a new salad.
I guess being a cute little kid helps. 🙂
I think back on this little episode in my life because of the difference between balancing a heavy plate (or bowl, in my case) and having it shatter on the floor.
Is your heart heavy or is it broken?
When your heart (or spirit) is heavy, it affects you. Deeply. But you can still generally function. When it’s broken, you feel…well…dead inside. Your life isn’t just in a low spot. It feels over.
Been there? Perhaps you’re there now?
I love these two verses in Proverbs:
- A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken. (Proverbs 15:13)
- A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones. (Proverbs 17:22)
They let us know the importance of cultivating and maintaining a “merry heart” (smiling, laughter, sense of humor, positive mindset, etc, etc.) and the pain of a “broken spirit.” They also tell us that a good way to treat a heavy heart (or spirit) or heal a broken spirit (or heart) is a “merry heart.”
But…
It’s not always easy, is it?
Sometimes, you feel buried in pain. Immersed in pain. Unable to escape the pain.
And that’s why I love these verses…
- The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. (Psalm 34:18)
- The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. (Psalm 51:17)
Not to mention the Beatitudes, among them:
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:3-4, KJV
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Not that you’re expecting this, but one blog post can’t solve all your problems. You know that. But I hope this one blog post will help you better understand the following…
Your heart or spirit being broken isn’t the end of your story.
You may feel like you’re “at the end of your rope,” but as long as God lives, you can face tomorrow.
Trusting God with your heart isn’t just a cliche. It is a way of life. Or at least it should be.
Humble yourself in the sight of God. Take your burdens, anxieties, worries, and cares to God. Take your pain to God. When your heart is heavy, go to God. And when your heart (or spirit) is shattered, go to the Great Physician for healing.
If you’re feeling especially low right now, my encouragement is to take the next several days, weeks, or months — however long it takes — to focus on drawing closer to God. As Jesus says, the “kingdom of heaven” is for the “poor in spirit,” and those who “mourn” will (as they bring their pain and grief to God) be “comforted.”
You don’t even have to know what to say or what specifically to pray. Did you know that? That’s what Romans 8 tells us. I encourage you to read and meditate on Romans 8. Just go to God. Just seek His face and be in His presence.
You are welcome in God’s presence.
You don’t need to “be happy” to be welcome. You don’t need to put on a front and pretend all is well. Not with God. You may need to do that at work or even (sometimes) with your family and friends — or even at church. But you don’t have to have a “front” with God. You can be real.
God welcomes you. He welcomes the broken-hearted.
You can get practical wisdom and help in how to deal with your problems or pains — at work, at home, in your health, wherever. You can get all that later. (If you need some wisdom now, okay. Ask God for that wisdom. See James 1:5 and start reading Proverbs. And read/study every passage in the Bible that deals with the topic or issue you’re wrestling with). But it’s CRUCIAL that you get close to God. THAT should be your top priority.
Get close to God. Everything else will take care of itself. Don’t believe me? Read Matthew 6:33. That’s what Jesus says. Seek the face and presence of God.
Let God heal your broken heart.
He is the only One who truly can.
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My heart has been broken so many times Pastor. I always rest in His hands whenever that happens and it truly works out in the end.
Blessings,
Tom