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A message from MaRisa (freeofbulimia.com)

I heard that old song on the radio the other day and
the lyrics rather haunted me. In this month of hearts
and flowers, I know that there are many who did not
celebrate the fun part of Valentine’s Day, but instead
had to deal with all the things that old song speaks
of: broken dreams, disillusion and confusion, not
necessarily in the area of romance.

A broken heart is a wound to the soul, inflicted
through loss, betrayal, misunderstandings, fear of the
unknown. Circumstances at home, work, or in your
community can so deeply affect you that you literally
feel a pain in your chest and wonder how you will bear
it. Sometimes we grieve for another’s sorrow or pain
and make it our own.

I’ll tell you what becomes of too many broken hearted
people. They hurt. They run, they try to cover their
wounds with false bravado or phony optimism. They
numb their pain with busy work, drugs, drink,
entertainment - whatever works for a while. But
those things are temporary band-aids for a wound that
needs deep cleansing and healing.

I’ll tell you what becomes of the broken hearted when
they allow God’s Holy Spirit to reach into their
hearts. Psalm 147:3: “He heals the broken hearted
and binds up their wounds.”

Does this happen in a second? Do the pain and the
problems disappear at the utterance of a prayer? Not
usually. Notice that the Scripture promises healing
and binding. The binding process of a heart breaking
wound is like caring for a physical trauma.
Recognizing the nature of the wound, understanding
what caused the damage, then cleansing the wound and
ridding it of infection are crucial to the process.

When we come to the Lord for comfort and healing, we
can be sure that He will do a similar work in our
hearts. No quick band-aids and temporary pain relief.
Rather, a deep, life-changing work of the Holy Spirit
will drive us closer to God, our Great Physician. He
will take us to the foot of the Cross, where His blood
was poured out for the very sins that inflict such
pain and heartache upon the world. He will expose
this wound for what it is, root out its causes and
cleanse us from the infection of bitterness and sin.

In the midst of it all, God sends His Comforter, the
Holy Spirit. Remember how your mom used to hold your
hand or kiss your “ouwies” while she medicated and
cleaned your scraped knees and elbows? That’s what
the Comforter does. The Spirit holds our hands and
lets us know we are loved as we go through this
process, reminding us that “all things work together
for good to those who love God, to those who are the
called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28)!

And then blessed relief! His promises are true. He
will bind and heal our wounds. And from the depths of
our tender and healing heart, He can now begin to
manifest the attributes of His Spirit: love, joy,
peace, patience and all the gifts God wants us to
have. All the reasons He allows such trials into our
lives.

St. Augustine once wrote, “Let God cover your wounds,
do not do it yourself. For if you wish to cover them,
because you are ashamed, the Physician will not come.
Let Him cover; for by the covering of the Physician
the wound is healed; by covering the wound yourself,
the wound is merely concealed. And from whom? From
Him who knows all things.”

What becomes of the broken hearted? In God’s
kingdom, only good things.

May those of you whose hearts are burdened and broken
find peace and comfort in God’s Word, and may you
experience His loving touch.

=====
"No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his
love has been brought to full expression through us." 1 John 4:12

www.brennakate.com
www.livejournal.com/~brennakate

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