As I write this post today, a new part of my heart is freshly broken, as I watch another loved one deal with daily pain.
Brokenness has been a theme in my life. The loss is innocence at the hand of an adult while I was a child. Public betrayal and cruelty by friends in public school. That first heart break of lost love. The miscarriage I had three months after our honeymoon. Loss of beloved pets. Friendships which were suddenly lost in hard seasons. Having to leave a job I loved due to terrible management.
Jesus can relate. The Bible tells us that Jesus wept over the loss of Lazarus, before He arrived to raise him from the dead. The betrayal of Judas must have stung something fierce, yet He only showed love in response. The very tribe of people God called His own chose to save a murderer vs their Messiah from death row and public humiliation by painful flogging & an agonizing death displayed on the cross.
He hears the cries of the broken because He knows what it feels like to experience brokenness. He has been there. And He answers each cry – whether a word of comfort, an embrace, a helping hand of provision, the support of one He has sent to assist – because He always comes to the rescue of those He loves.
When a close relative committed suicide, Jesus walked along side us as we helped the devastated spouse left behind while grieving the loss of their presence in our lives.
When I miscarried, Jesus brought a mentor to me to help me sort out my emotions and grieve, yet I still feel the loss of what could have been 30 years later.
I used to be protective of my brokenness, keeping it hidden from display and discussion. Until it became apparent to me that God uses the wholly available, not those who are whole.
I am stronger after the brokenness than I ever could be without it. For I know Who walks with me, moment by moment, through everything I face – good, bad, ugly, sad, joyous, painful, hopeful – despite my broken pieces.
God continues to make beautiful things out of the dust of our loss & brokenness. The scars remain in my Story as a testimony to His faithfulness, and how His Story is intermingled with mine.
#hopefortheharddays
#hopeinHisPresence
KARLA LEES 