Tag: Healer

when you are the owner of a broken heart

Karla Lees

Friend, today I am going to share from the heart one of the biggest lessons I have ever learned about brokenness.  My prayer is that the same God who is rebuilding the broken pieces with me will give you a glimpse of hope where you are feeling broken.

Maybe you and I, we’re never meant to be complete. Could we just be broken together? If you can bring your shattered dreams and I’ll bring mine. Could healing still be spoken and save us? The only way we’ll last forever is broken together. – Broken Together- Casting Crowns

Relationships are hard.

Especially the ones with the people you interact with every day.

Because in our own way, deep down within each of us, we are broken.

Some more than others, but no one walks this earth unscathed in some way.

Not even Jesus did.

I have found that when I am feeling broken, I have a tendency to hide away, lick my wounds and brood. Occasionally, a full blown cry fest erupts, leaving me exhausted on top of the broken pieces I am trying so hard to hold together.

But we were designed for community. With our best friends and families, but especially in marriage, if we have been blessed with that gift.

These past 25 years together, my hubby and I have had a lot of mileage into the realm of brokenness. It has been harder than I imagined at times, more painful than I ever thought, and gone deeper than I ever dreamed possible.

Yet together we are stronger because of it, for we can see God moving better in each other at times than we can sense Him moving within ourselves.

Building one another up when the other is feeling low. Being the shoulder to cry on when we need to let it out.

Because the secret to being broken in a marriage and still staying married?

The three stranded cord.

By yourself you’re unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped.  Ecclesiastes 4:12 (MSG)

When even one of you invite God into your marriage, He intertwines Himself into it. He becomes the stabilizer, the marriage counselor. He gives you the love to express when you feel empty, yet your hubby needs to know you care. He gives your hubby the strength to just listen & tell you he loves you.

Without God, our marriage would not have made it this far.

Because in our own strength we would have run on empty long ago.

It’s not about having made a bad pick, or being a mismatched pair.

It’s making the one you are with your mate, supported by the Love that never fails, never gives up and never runs out on either of you, or your marriage.

If you know you are broken and need help, pray and ask God to bring you to the right resources, or bring the best help to you.

Your spouse’s brokenness isn’t for you to heal, that is His job. They need your support and love as they face their own brokenness and support you in yours.

God knew when He designed marriage that we would need one another:

In better, in worse.
In sickness, in health.
With wealth, without much.
Whether whole or broken.

The amazing thing I have found? My hubby and I have not been so broken in the same ways that we couldn’t be there for one another. Often not perfectly, but present none the less.

In His mercy, He makes us the mate our spouse needs. Whether we have broken bits or not.

Only God can take what is broken, and shape it to make something beautiful.

  • He is with us, every step of the journey.
  • His Presence draws closer with every request for Him to come and be nearer.
  • His love, strength, grace and mercy are more than enough for what you and your spouse may face today.

He longs to restore and repair where we are broken, and can do amazing things when we place ourselves in His hands.

Broken together with the Potter makes for a beautiful finish beyond belief.

When we give Him all the pieces, He can make us whole again, one piece at a time.

broken together

#broken #hopefortheharddays #hopeinHisPresence

cracky foundations

Karla Lees

image

When we try to build our lives, often we attempt to build them like a house builder does.

With a firm foundation.
Straight boundary lines.
Properly insulated, heated & wired.
Secure roof.
Working plumbing.
Well maintained.
Both welcoming & safe.

All it takes is one crack in the foundation that goes unchecked to undermine the stability of the whole house.

Or in this case, our life.

One sin or lie, unchecked, has the ability to grow & deepen and attract more like minded elements set on expanding that crack & shaking our foundation.

And when your foundation is based solely on the works of your hands, the aftermath of a large crack can be devastating. Leaving you shattered, broken and hopeless.

God reminds us throughout the Word that He is to be our foundation.

For He alone is solid enough to last, secure enough to never crumble, and able to keep us protected under His covering.

When we allow that small unchecked crack- whether a sin, a lie or an area of disbelief we refuse to bring to Him- we open a door for the enemy to widen that crack in our foundation.

Time spent with Him in prayer & worship, studying the Word, listening & seeking His face every day is not only the best preventative measure you can make to protect your foundation, but to restore & heal the cracks you may already have.

I find that when I listen to my own thoughts or pain too much, without bringing them to the Lord or into line with His Word, a crack begins to form within.

If I leave it exposed to the elements without asking God to fix it, it expands faster than I can imagine.

One can become many when left unchecked.

Sin & lies are like yeast. You only need a small amount of yeast in a recipe, but it spreads throughout the other ingredients, linking them together to become something new.

In the case of the enemy, a small sin we think no one else will discover & keep to ourselves can lead to more & more decisions leading us down a path we never meant to head down but now can’t stop following without intervention.

One lie left unchecked magnetically attracts more, and once it gains enough strength, will begin to repel the truth to keep itself secure.

It only takes one spark to ignite an out of control fire.

God knew from the beginning we would need Him to be our foundation.

And He also knew we would fail to build solid lives without Him.

Jesus Himself came to be the cornerstone, the most important part of every foundation.

And because of His great love, Jesus ripped through the fabric of time & space, morality & law, to make the way for all to have Him not only save them, but to become their Rock.

The Rock of all ages.
Solid. Eternal. Holy. True. Secure.
All we could ever need for a solid foundation.

And He doesn’t just stop there.

Holy Spirit helps us on a daily basis to bring our foundation under His eye & seek where work may need to be done, or where previously done repairs may need to be reinforced.

There are many, many verses which touch upon God being our foundation, the Rock to build our lives upon.

Here are five such verses to ponder & memorize, to dig your teeth into & weave into your foundation.

For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
-1 Corinthians 3:11 ESV

These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.
– Matthew 7:24-25 MSG

In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
– 1 Timothy 6:19, NIV

He alone is my rock and my deliverance, my citadel high on the hill; I will not be shaken.
– Psalm 62:2 VOICE

But the Lord has become my High Tower and Defense, and my God the Rock of my refuge.
– Psalm 94:22 AMP

Presence

Karla Lees

The past few days, I have felt overwhelmed physically.

A few of my sore muscles are having a hard time giving up their tension, despite prayer and the efforts of my physio & massage therapist.

Sleeping on my left side is foreign to me, I have always been a back or right side sleeper, and with my right side sore, staying asleep HSS now become an issue.

I am generally not a big whiner, but a solution finder.

I am in a situation I cannot control. nor see a quick end too.

The trail ahead seemed very steep last night.

I could only pray, “Help” before falling asleep.

This morning, as I awoke and spent time in His Word & Presence, He has reminded me I am not in this alone.

He is with me.

He is strengthening me.

He is helping me.

I was only looking at my physical symptoms, but God was looking at my whole person.

My spirit is reaching out for Him more than ever before, because I don’t want to make it through without Him.

My solution, my Hope is found in Him alone.

I am actively bringing my thoughts into alignment with His Word & promises.

I am being honest about my feelings, but not letting them run my decisions.

But how I am physically weary of being sore.

And that is the area God reminds me I need to bring into alignment with His truth.

I can keep going when I depend on His strength.

He is more than enough for me, even as I struggle.

Its okay to be real before Him, and fully rely on Him for all I need.

Maybe one of you needed to hear this this morning too.

I hope He draws close to you, and reminds you of what you need to hear from Him directly as well.

Once again, it is well with my soul.

image

Because all things are possible, in, with and for our God!

when the pain cries out to be heard

Karla Lees

image

I woke up this morning to my worst overall pain day in a long while.

I am not going to tell you exactly what hurts, because I had a revelation about pain earlier today I need to share.

I have spent too much of my life listening to pain’s voice speak louder than God’s voice.

NO. MORE.

I am standing on my belief that God is more than enough to get me through whatever is paining me whether physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually.

I am taking the megaphone away from pain and handing it back to God:

the Song who wants to sing His strength into me.

The Love who wants to pour His heart into mine.

The Peace who wants to bring solace to my spirit.

The Truth who will never leave me or forsake me, who is always with me, and eternally keeps His promises.

The Living Water who wants to splash His Presence over my pain, until He is the focus of all I can see, hear & sense.

The Eternal One who will never fail, whose goodness abounds from everlasting to everlasting!

Recently, God gave me the revelation that when I am able to abandon myself before Him in worship, my pain ebbs away, and often completely disappears in His Presence.

If pain ebbs or goes in His Presence, then I intend on keeping myself close to Him.

Not just because I feel better, but because He wants to take away my pain.

Jesus went to the cross not only for all sin & shame, but pain, infirmity & illness.

He reigns over all of it, this amazing loving awe-striking Saviour, who came to meet ALL our needs…

I choose to listen to the One who is for me, over the voice of the one who tries to tear me down.

Now is the day to tune in to His voice first, making it the loudest voice you hear each day.

All of heaven resounds with His voice…and as I align myself with His best for me (hearing Him first) I believe, I know my pain will be put in its rightful place by my Maker, Saviour, Healer & King!

I believe You’re my Healer,
I believe You are all I need.
I believe You’re my portion,
I believe You’re more than enough for me, Jesus You’re all I need!
-Kari Jobe, Healer

belong

Karla Lees

One of the downsides to working part time is missing out on the same camaraderie those who work full time share.

The same can be said about our walk with God.

God isn’t interested in part time relationship.

He is ours full time, 24/7, 365.

And beyond.

We think of time in forward increments, God sees all time at any time.

He is, after all, eternal.

When I keep too busy with life, I tend to waver on knowing where I belong.

God is always there to remind me I belong to Him.

He belongs to me.

Nor because of anything I have done, will or can do…
but because I am the only me He made.

That alone makes me, and you, precious to our Creator.

But He didn’t end there.

When we kept wandering, as the distracted tend to do, away from Him, and failed to focus on the words He kept speaking to us through His Word & prophets…
He sent the Word.

To live among us.
To walk beside us.
To listen to our hurts.
To heal our brokenness.
To love away our loneliness.
To touch us- heart, mind, soul & body.
To set us free through the death we deserved.

To know, without doubt, we belong.

We are His.

He bought us at great price, and will never stop calling out to us to come: be known by Him, and know Him.

When we spend a great deal of time with others, we develop a sense of belonging: that we fit, we are good together, which only makes us want to spend even more time together.

We become tightknit, close than we sometimes could ever dream possible.

We know that we know we belong.

If you struggle with knowing where you belong, look no further than His Word, His heart poured out in a love letter like no other.

God reminds us each and every day that we have a place where we belong.

With Him.

God reminds us each moment that we are treasures.

To Him.

God draws us close in His embrace, so we can rest.

In Him.

The belonging you long for?
It is a precious gift,
offered,
given,
by Him.

May you draw closer to His Presence than you can imagine, as He reminds you how much you belong to Him, always.

image

refuge

Karla Lees

image

There are days I just want to hide myself away.

Days where I say something dumb, forget to do something important, or simply look like I should have stayed home in bed. On the worst days, all three at the same time.

As much as I want to stay in hiding, tucked comfortably under my squooshy duvet, listening to my Hope cat purr as she snores beside me, I know deep down that this is only (albeit a lovely option) a temporary solution for me.

I have a rock solid, impenetrable refuge to hide in.

One where I am tucked tightly underneath the shelter of His wings.

Protected.
Safe.
Loved.
Valued.
Treasured.
Beloved.

When things head downhill in my life, I head for His presence.

He is my Hope.
My Protector.
Provider.
Healer.

He never fails me.
Always adores me.
Constantly with me.
He never lets me go.

He whispers promises.
Sings me love songs.
Accepts me as me.
Delights over me.

As attractive as my bed may look at 5:45 in the morning, knowing my soul can escape to my forever home with Him in the blink of an eye keeps me hopeful, no matter what I am facing.

And I have faced enough doozies in my life to not need any more:

Abandonment
Molestation
Bullying
Cutting
Depression
Physical Illness
Loss of loved ones
Loss of income
Rejection
Anxiety
Fear
Broken relationships

And God has proven Himself to be more than enough for and through every single one of them.

Every time.

My true refuge.