Broken Hearted

There are days, and sometimes weeks, when disappointing circumstances can seem overwhelming. You feel like you are barely keeping your emotional head above the water and then you see a giant wave approaching. For some reason, hard times come in blasts, not trickles. A broken relationship, trouble at work, health issues, money problems…they seem to come at us all at once. You don’t know what is harder: disappointment, fear, shame, or rejection.And sometimes it’s just one really, really big thing that makes it feel like an avalanche of trouble. And you want to just get alone, away, and grieve.If that’s you right now, I’m very sorry. Nothing I can say will alleviate your pain. There are no Christian platitudes that will make you feel better. But I’m sorry that you’re going through it.You already know that this isn’t the end of the world. You know that God works all things for good to those who love him. You know that he won’t give you more than you can handle with his help. But right now, it’s not what you know in your head that is hurting. It’s your heart.So let me just give you this promise from King David about God. It’s Psalm 34:18, "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."Though during our most difficult times it may seem that God is far from you, that is SO not true! In fact, it is in your pain that God is closest to you.I have experienced overwhelming hurt in my lifetime, and there were times when I could not see the end in sight. I learned in those darkest days that all I could do was lean into God. And then I found he was right there beside me, waiting for me to do just that. And that’s when I felt his arms around me."Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8).