What Do You Do With A Broken Heart?

“You’ve heard from two of my cousins, Pain and Worry. Now it’s my turn. My name is Grief, and if you have not met me yet, you will. Some people know me by my two nicknames, Sorrow and Distress. Whatever you wish to call me, you’ll know when I enter your life. They all do. It’s when you have a broken heart, and sorrow and distress almost take your breath away.

“I often feel like a neutral player in the game of life. The God of love—your Creator—can actually use me to help heal you humans. But your adversary—you know who—also uses me to try to crush you with me—Grief.

“Let me explain myself. I show up when something bad—or sad—comes your way. Someone you love so much dies. Or maybe it’s the loss of a special pet. Or it might be a friend who turns his or her back on you. Or a husband or wife who deserts you. Or a child who rejects you. Or a parent who doesn’t want you. Or…well, why go on. You get the point.

“Where cousin Pain works a lot on your body, I, Grief, work on your mind. That’s when God can use me to help heal you, or the devil will use me to try to let you think you’re on your own with a dead-end ahead.

“What amazes me is how many of you people try to carry me—Grief—all alone. You were never meant to. Your Creator God made you to live in His companionship and in His loving care. His Spirit is meant to carry your spirit through the toughest of times. How sad when you try to do it alone. Even I, Grief, feel grieved over that.

“How the devil tries to use me should be obvious. He wants God out of the equation. To make you think no one cares. That there’s no help to be found. Let him use me, Grief, to beat up on you long enough, and old devil Lucifer knows he can lure you into the valley where my other cousin awaits you—Depression. And from there, he may try to take you where there’s no turning back—to the monster himself—Suicide. Even I—Grief—warn you that you don’t want to go there.

“And God? How does He use me to help heal you? Remember David? He grieved over his terrible sins of adultery and murder¹—and the predicted loss of his little baby boy.² But his broken heart turned to a hopeful one because he knew he would see the child in heaven. He grieved over his treacherous son Absalom’s death and almost didn’t recover.³ But again God rescued him from me, Grief, because David just couldn’t live without His Creator.

“Three other women grieved with broken hearts. The big difference between growing bitter or getting better was Jesus. Mary and Martha grieved over their dead brother Lazarus. They were so distressed they even accused Jesus of showing up late.⁴ They forgot they were looking into the face of the Resurrection and the Life. But Christ came through. He always does.

“The same with that widow in the village of Nain. She grieved over the death of the only one she had left in the world.⁵ Once again, Jesus made the difference.

“God made you humans to cry. Tears of grief can bring healing. That’s why Christ told you it’s OK to sorrow—to grieve. But He added that you are not to grieve as hopeless people do.⁶ After all, if you are trusting in Jesus, you have eternal life and He even promises to make everything you go through turn out for your good.⁷ How can you beat that?

“Do you see it? Try to handle me—Grief—without God and you might tough it out. Millions do. But you’ll never know the peace and comfort—and the hope of uniting with loved ones for eternity—without inviting the Savior into your hearts. And without Him, you’ll find cousin Depression waiting to see what he can do to make your life miserable.

“My name is Grief. I’ve told you like it is. Choose Jesus and my effect on you will be softened with His sweetness and healed with His hope. Say no to Him and all you have done is said yes to the one who is a liar from beginning to end, Satan himself. Why be so foolish to give him that pleasure?”

"Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ" (I Corinthians 11:1)
The ST. PAUL SCHOOL, with Frank Eiklor, Eileen Young and Cecilia Contreras