You have a dull ache. Sometimes it swallows your heart, other times it twists in the pit of your gut. Sometimes your head feels like it wants to split open because of the pressure. Other times, the feeling pierces your soul like the searing pain of a white hot knife.
This horrid ache takes liberty to come and go as it pleases, never with warning. Even the briefest thought of your sorrow can bring moisture to your eyes, often hard to hold back.
What we are talking about, of course, is a broken heart. My heart has been broken many times -- left out, made fun of, rejected, feeling alone, feeling unloved, depressed, broken promises, shattered dreams, betrayal, falsely accused. And then there are my sins of which I am ashamed and over which I grieve.
What is breaking your heart today? Maybe an injustice -- by you or against you. Maybe you're grieving, or need to grieve, what could've been -- a son on drugs, a daughter who has wandered from the path, a spouse who seems distant, or parents who got divorced. The closer the person, the deeper the hurt.
What is it for you? Maybe you are alone for Christmas. Maybe you have a son at war in a foreign land. Maybe you're separated from family. Perhaps your dream has been shattered by the recession -- out of work, out of money, out of business, out of hope. Maybe you feel abandoned by God.
Maybe you are addicted to money, ambition, pornography, or sex, and don't know how to escape. Maybe you have a substance abuse problem that is ripping your family apart. Maybe you have abandoned your family. Perhaps greed got the best of you and you have compromised your integrity.
God loves you very much. He has good plans for you. If I were a pastor, the sign over the door of my church would read, "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
Yet, we all like sheep have gone astray. Today, humble yourself before the beauty of his holiness. Feel the full weight of your sins. Repent (confess and turn from) any sinful way that has been alienating you from God. Put your faith in Jesus. Surrender yourself to his perfect plan for your life. Walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. Obey Christ. Don't lose hope. You're going to get through this.
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