HEALING OF DAMAGED HEARTS: Just Keep Living.

This week, the devotions team will focus on the topic “Healing of Damaged Hearts.”  Join us each morning for encouragement through God’s Word and our Devotionals.

Just when you think, no one could ever hurt me like that! Then God allows someone to come along who does and boy is it a punch in the gut. You feel every bit of that damage like it was a literal hit! You are blindsided. You let your guard down. How could you?  Well, in the timely words of some wise grandma somewhere, “Just keep living!”  It’s not a matter of how, why, or what, but when, because no one escapes this planet without a little damage.

The damaged heart reminds us that we and the one/s who caused the damage are human, born in sin and shaped in inequity (Psalm 51:5) and Jesus died for both of us (1 John 2:2). The damaged heart brings about a brokenness and a sorrow, that when given to God  should inevitably produce that wonderful parent/child response of comfort, correction, and peace.  Remember Psalm 51:17, God says He does not despise your broken and contrite heart. A damaged heart may require repentance. Were my actions a reason for this damage? Jesus, please forgive me if they were (Psalm 51: 3-4).  Handled correctly, the pain of a damaged heart will produce humility and certainly forgiveness. When your heart is damaged, remember that it was allowed for a purpose that God may reveal in time. Yes, a damaged heart can cause you to suffer, but brothers and sisters, after you have suffered for a while may the God of all grace perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.  What a wonderful end to experience after suffering.

The healing from a damaged heart takes time, because our God is conforming you into the image of His Son.  Here is some good news, while all of this is happening, there is life after a damaged heart. Forgive, ask the Lord to heal you and to help you just keep living a fruitful life.  If this sounds like an easy 1-2-3, it is not, but it is a start, so get started.  

Prayer: Bless Your name Jesus!  You are great and greatly to be praised. We are the redeemed and we say so!  You have blessed, You have provided, You have sheltered and protected and yes, You have allowed trials, adversities, all sorts of pains for a purpose You pre-determined for Your sons and daughters to experience.  Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?  As that Master Potter You knew what events would shape Your clay as vessels fit for the Your use. How we wish we could escape this life pain free, but Your death on the cross tells us otherwise. While damage from the world is inevitable, our consolation is that You have overcome the world and greater is He that is in me than he who is in the world. I love You, Jesus and it is in Your name I pray, Amen!
By Sis. Paula Smith