The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 (ESV)
A Shattered Heart
So far in our series, we have been talking about purifying our hearts as we clean up our homes. But, what if your heart has been broken? What if it feels like the innermost part of you is shattered into a thousand pieces?
It could be a betrayal by someone you trusted. Someone you love let you down. The death of a spouse or a child. The loss of dreams. There are a number of events that can break your heart.
Broken-heartedness is debilitating. You don’t feel like trying. Sometimes it feels like no one is listening. Like no one cares.
But…
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 (ESV)
The Lord hears you. He sees you. He is close to you.
When you are broken.
When you are crushed.
He is right there beside you.
What to do when your heart is broken
When your heart is broken, it is easy to think that nothing matters. To pull into yourself and decide not to put your heart out there again to be broken. To feel that kind of pain again.
The thing to do is to take refuge in the One whose love never fails. To turn into the arms of Love Himself.
Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:2 (ESV)
God’s love wraps around us when we are heart broken and begins to put the pieces of our hearts together like a puzzle. If we let Him.
Let’s get down to the practical stuff
God can handle our grief, our sadness, our anger. However, we do better when choose to focus on our blessings. When we choose to be grateful in spite of the hurt. When we choose to worship in the middle of the pain.
Sometimes that means that in the very center of our disappointment, we thank God for any blessing we can think of while the tears stream down our faces. At times, it means that we turn on worship music and sing about how amazing God is when the pain seems unbearable.
At our most vulnerable, He right there with us. These are the times when we feel His presence surround us and support us in our deepest need. The God of the universe is present in our pain with us.
Action Step:
Let’s turn to the living room. Cause sometimes when we are brokenhearted, we feel like we live in a state of pain, like it is a room that we are stuck in.
Our living room (maybe it is your family room, den, etc.) is often a place where we spend a lot of time. When this room is chaos-free, it is easier to feel peaceful and happy there.
I like for my living room to always be just a few minutes from company ready because it is right inside my front door. AND, my family spends most nights hanging out there when we are home. It is important that it is not a stressful place. Easy to keep tidy.
Take a look at your living room. Does everything that is currently in it need to be there?
When you have too much stuff, it can feel like another burden weighing down on you. You try to relax and the clutter seems to shout at you that you should be working on cleaning it up.
Take a few minutes and check if anything should be living in a different part of the house or simply needs to move on to a different owner.
If there is, set a timer for ten minutes and take care of as many things as possible. At the end of ten minutes, take the box (or bag) of “different owner” stuff right out to your car to be taken to Goodwill (or some other charity). It will bless you to get it out of your house and it will bless someone else who will receive it!). Take the stuff that belongs somewhere else in the house and put it away.
It may take a few of these sessions if the living room has become a catch-all, but once it is done, this room will be so much nicer to “live” in.
While you are decluttering or just tidying up, think on some encouraging scriptures or tell God something you are thankful for. He will wrap His arms around you and comfort your crushed spirit.
God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1 (ESV)
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3 (ESV)
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 (ESV)
Fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 (ESV)
What verse comforts you when you are having a hard time?
Prayer:
Dear God, we know that we are never alone. You see us. You hear us. You know us. When we are brokenhearted, You are right there with us. Thank You so much for loving us. Help us to draw our strength and comfort from You when we are in pain. Help us to run to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Also, I have free printables in the Devotion in Action Resource Library for this series if you would like to Bible art journal along with me!
If you don’t have the password to the Resource Library, click here!