Pictured is my art made out of broken pieces of glass, jewelry, etc.
By: Carole L. Haines
I was listening to a friend the other day and God gave me an encouragement for her. But as I spoke the words, I realized it could be for me as well; really for us all in the Body of Christ.
She was pouring out her heart about wanting to trust God more, but she felt like she would give something to Him, yet the next morning, she’d take it back. As she spoke, I heard that whisper of God in my heart, that little nudge with the words to speak to my friend.
“What if you didn’t really take it back? What if it was just another piece of the same thing? Perhaps it’s just another layer of the deep thing you are struggling to surrender to God, and you didn’t take anything back at all, you just have another layer to surrender?”
With the words came a picture in my mind. It was that of a woman sitting on the floor right in the middle of a sea of broken glass surrounding her. If she got up and tried to walk out of it, she’d cut her feet. If she tried to scoop it up in piles, she’d shred her hands. She needed someone to come to her aid, lift her up and allow her to give them one piece at a time. That person can only be God.
Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them out of their distresses.
He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death
And broke their bands apart. Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness, and for His wonders to the sons of men!
(Psalm 107:13-15)
Our lives can be shattered by so many things; abuse, loss, disobedience, habitual sin, regret, rejection, illness, etc. Life is hard and our hearts are fragile. God’s Word tells us:
“Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)
It is pain and disappointment, betrayal and abuse that break our hearts and cause us to withdraw and curl up into ourselves. Our innocence is ravaged and we withdraw from life and people. These places are where our hearts shatter like fine Crystal shards. We need someone to help us heal, put us back together again and teach us how to trust in a safe way. God is the only one who has the power and wisdom to do this. Don’t be so impatient with yourself if you are having a hard time surrendering something to God. Perhaps you are only able to do it a piece at a time, because you were shattered. Give it to Him one piece at a time and He will bring Healing and peace, trust and hope to you. I will leave you with the words of a song I wrote about a time my heart was completely shattered.
Broken Heart of mine.
By: Carole L. Haines
My God, it seems I have a broken heart,
and I was wondering if You would be so kind
to help me find all those little parts
So I’ll have all the pieces that once were mine
You see I’ve heard if too much time goes by
these wounds won’t heal no matter how I try
and then my heart will never be made whole again
For I know hearts of glass break so easily
and hearts of stone, when pricked, will not bleed
and hearts of flesh will use you, taking only what they need
Lord, You’re the only one strong enough, the only one wise enough,
to make my heart soft enough to be whole again.
My God, though I have this broken heart,
there’s so much that I want to leave behind
For Lord I find, that I do not wish to die
but to learn to love and laugh again, Dear God
You see, I’ve heard if too much time goes by,
these wounds won’t heal no matter how I try
and I want my heart to be made whole again
For I know hearts of glass break so easily
and hearts of stone, when pricked, will not bleed
and hearts of flesh will use you, taking only what they need
Lord, You’re the only one strong enough, the only one wise enough,
to make my heart soft enough to be whole again.
Our Lord God is the only one who can heal a broken heart. Even if it’s only one piece at a time, give your heart to the Only One who can bring wholeness and healing to it.
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