Is a Broken Heart Holding You Back?

 “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3 NLT 

Are you in need of mending? I’ve never considered myself brokenhearted, but I suppose I am. It’s nigh impossible to travel through this life without wounds and scars.

I do my best to practice spiritual heart health. To not be easily offended when a hurtful word or act has been thrown at my heart, but rather to offer forgiveness when a wrong has been done...

However, I’ve found that the simple admittance of my brokenness opens the door for God to come in and heal. To mend my broken heart and pour His oil, the healing balm of Gilead, upon my head and upon my soul.
 
Too often we push through, ignoring the pain and denying the reality of brokenness. We limp along, unwittingly exacerbating the wound. We do a quick stitch-up—a DIY kick in the pants—and move on.
 
Where did we lose that childlike impulse to ask for a band-aid, a kiss to make it better? A moment to seek out and receive consolation?
 
Wounded people are often like an injured animal, lashing out at those around them, but unable to verbalize their pain. Over time, they become the embittered ones, with a shell so hard around their life that nothing can penetrate. 
 
Or, they become the sad ones, overwhelmed with grief they cannot or will not put their finger on to identify. Perhaps they’re too scared to look deep and discover the source of the pain. 
 
Perhaps you’re afraid to put a name to the wound.
 
And so... depression takes the opportunity and moves into your life. You’re stuck in bitterness or grief and, let’s face it, you’ve lost your will to move beyond the here and now. Your broken heart is holding you back from loving and living and believing in God for good things.
 
The joy of living slowly dissipates—even while your healing is at hand, the hope for wholeness is within reach. God is holding it out to you even as you read these words. 
 
Will you acknowledge the wounds and uncover your pain?
 
Will you entrust your heavenly Father with the pieces of your broken soul? Let Him be your healer, your counselor, your binder-upper. He is the One who can make you whole.
 
“Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed. Save me, and I shall be saved, for You are my praise.” Jeremiah 17:14 NKJV


A note from Laura: Grief is sometimes a process. If you're grieving a loss, I encourage you to see Day 15 "When a Dream (or Someone You Love) Dies" in my devotional book, Through the Valley—Move Your Life Forward in God available here.

​Photo by Jackson David on Unsplash
This blog first appeared on Family Christian.