This week, I lost a treasure. As I was putting the dishes away, a coffee cup slipped out of my hands and shattered my sugar bowl. As I strategized about how best to clean it up, I felt a pang in my heart remembering the day I bought it.
I put the remaining sugar in a plastic container but then remembered a gift that my daughter had given me. While her intention was for it to be a “trinket holder” in my bedroom, I thought it could serve a better purpose. And boy, did it! Woo hoo!
The next day, as I poured my coffee into my favorite mug (the one that dropped out of my hand the day before), I noticed that it was chipped. Like the sugar bowl, it also had great memories associated with it.
Realizing that crying in my coffee was not going to get me anywhere, I tossed the cup into the garbage to join the broken sugar bowl. Two of my favorite things gone forever.
Given all that’s going on in the world, a couple of broken treasures does not warrant a meltdown or a deep dive into a bag of Fritos. Yet, piled on top of a few other heartbreaks in my life as of late, for a moment or two, it did seem like it was the straw that was about to break this camel’s back.
But God…
As I was walking the other day, I was reminded of David and the psalms. Many, if not most begin with him pouring out his heart to God, bemoaning the situation he’s in, getting all of the hurt, frustration, anger, and disappointment off his chest.
Then, after he’s spewed out the negativity, he speaks about how good God has been. He recalls how God repeatedly saved His people, how He blessed them, and how He never let them down.
You see even the heroes of our faith had to face tough times. Their faith in God did not exempt them from getting their hearts broken. However, it was their faith that got them through the repair process. It was their faith that reminded them of all that God had done and how He kept His promises to them.
Every Single One. Every Single Time.
This is a great example of what we are to do when we face the trials and tribulations of life. It’s okay for us to pour out our hearts to God. He can take it. He understands that life on planet earth is not a walk in the park sometimes.
Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus sympathizes with us. He has compassion for us (Matthew 9:35-38).
He loves us (John 3:16). He longs to mend our broken hearts and fill us with His peace (John 14:27).
This should bring us comfort as we let God mend the brokenness in our lives. We don’t have to do it alone. We have a heavenly Father who cares deeply about us and if we let Him, He will turn all the bad stuff into good (Romans 8:28).
I miss my sugar bowl, but now when I dip my spoon into its replacement, I’m reminded of my daughter and the love she has for me to give me this gift. I miss my favorite coffee cup but now I get to use some of the others that have been sitting idle in my cabinet.
The devil thought he could steal my joy (John 10:10), but God turned it all out for good and mended my broken heart. He will do the same for you.
I’d like to encourage you this week to turn your broken heart over to the only One who can heal it. Then, as you wait for Him to do only what He can do, enjoy a nice cup of coffee!
P.S. If your heart has been broken and you need encouragement on how God can heal it, click here to watch or listen to the Elevate The Day podcast “When Your Heart Has Been Broken.”