Jen’s Gem: Let God heal your heart.

This past week, I had the privilege to attend an amazing women’s conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma. To make it even better, I got to spend quality time with my amazing podcast co-host Karen Salisbury and her husband who opened their beautiful home to me and showed me around town.

The time flew by as vacations always do. Thankfully, part two would begin immediately following my return as I made my way to Montauk, Long Island to enjoy a few days of R&R at the ocean.

I plopped myself in my beach chair and stared at the glistening water. It was so beautiful I didn’t know where to look next! It seemed like just as I viewed one giant wave crashing, another one that was just as spectacular popped up. Breathtaking to say the least.

The next day, I learned something very important that I want to share with you.

You can get a sunburn in October. 

As I slathered the lotion on to my fire-engine red skin, I puzzled over why I did not apply the sunscreen that was in my bag. I presumed the sun would not be that strong. I mean, summer is over. Technically, it is fall. Boy was I wrong!

Has this ever happened to you? You think something will be one way and then it turns out to be the complete opposite? Perhaps it was a job that sounded great on paper but then turned into lunacy once you walked into the office. Or maybe it was a relationship that seemed perfect at first but then crashed and burned, leaving you with a broken heart.

I’m currently studying the Gospel of John and reading about the details of Jesus’ ministry. While there were many who came to believe in Him as the Son of God, over and over again, He was  challenged by those who could not seem to “get it.”

His simple message of love was… well…too simple for those who wanted to cling to the impossible task of obeying the 600 plus commands of the Old Testament. It was all they knew. They could not see their way through to what Jesus was teaching them.

However, those who dared to cast aside those old ways got their sight restored, their bones healed, demons removed, and so much more. So much more. No one had ever shown these people love, forgiveness, mercy, and grace. It was almost too good to be true. 

Those who chose to follow Jesus had to rethink their relationship with God. They had to embrace the fact that God loved them deeply and unconditionally. Even though they were less than perfect people, His forgiveness was extended to them. And…if they believed in His Son, wooo eeee – eternity in heaven was the reward.

The people who walked with Jesus had many experiences of being burned by others. Scorned for their poverty and disease, tossed aside for their less than stellar behavior, they knew all too well about being rejected. Then Jesus comes along and changes everything. Healed. Whole. Accepted. Forgiven. Loved.

You may have been burned by the people, places, and things in your life. We live in a broken world so sadly, no one is immune from being hurt. Yet, we have a Father in heaven who is waiting to comfort and heal your burns. His Word is a salve to your heart and when applied daily, healing is guaranteed.

If you are not a regular Bible reader, I would like to encourage you to begin. Let go of those old assumptions and presumptions that it’s too hard to understand or is not applicable in these present times. It’s more relevant than you know.

“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12 NIV)

If you’ve been burned, let the Word of God heal you.

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3)