June 12, 2025
Recently, my son had a scare with his heart. All is good now, but it was a scary few days. It caused me to start thinking about my heart. I wanted to ask, ”Have you ever had a broken heart?” I’m sure we all have, as it’s just part of life. But have you ever had those tremendous hurts in your life where you literally felt like your heart was breaking?
I can think of different times in my life when I have been in that situation. There have been hard times in my marriage when I felt like my heart was breaking. When my parents died, I felt like my heart was breaking. When there are troubles, problems, or situations that involve my children and family, I feel like my heart is breaking.
In these situations, I really do feel the heartache. It is an actual pain, and maybe one you can’t describe unless you have experienced it as well. I don’t like being in that “place” where my heart hurts. It’s not a good place for me to be. Most of the time, you don’t even feel like you can share that heartache with others because you don’t think they would understand, or you feel it is too complicated to even try and share.
Heartache makes you feel alone. Seasons of grief, loss, and hurt all have the tendency to cause heartache. I have experienced all these situations firsthand! I also feel like when I am in the place where my heart hurts, that I am vulnerable, and the enemy knows it. Satan whispers things to me that do not help matters at all. In fact, he whispers things that make it so much worse. He preys on my heartache and uses it to his advantage.
I know this in my head, but when my heart is hurting it can be tough to decipher the voice I really need to listen to. In my life, heartache and fear seem to go hand in hand. If I’m hurting about a situation, then my fear can easily take over. When my fear takes over, I start to doubt. I doubt myself, but I also start to doubt God. Isn’t it crazy how, when life gets hard, instead of automatically turning to God, we let our fear take over and doubt God. Maybe you don't have that problem, but I sure do!
I start to question if God needs my help or even if there might have been a mistake made. I mean, could He possibly be tired and off duty today? My mind can go in a million different directions, and I lose my focus. My fear and doubt tell me that there is nothing that can fix or help me deal with my broken heart. My God and faith in Him shouts, "He can handle it!"
God’s Word and His love can help me get through these times. Here are some things I have discovered when my heart is breaking. Sometimes I don’t remember them until later in my hurtful journey. Sometimes I don’t remember them until a friend reminds me, but they are truth and can help with my heartbreak.
First, in Philippians 4:6-7 it says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Lesson #1 - Only God can provide peace for my problems.
Second, in Jeremiah 29:11 it says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Lesson #2 – Hurt and heartache will come, but regardless of these tough times, God has a plan.
Third is Psalm 46:1-2: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.” Lesson #3 – No matter what heartache I am facing, the presence of God is always with me!
There are many other scriptures that I could use, but these are a few of my favorites. The question is not whether we will have heartache in our lives; we definitely will. The question is, how will we handle the heartache?
Who do we trust? Who has a plan? Who provides peace in hard situations? Jesus is the only answer. Again, I know this in my head, but sometimes it takes some time for my heart to get the message. Don’t we all need to remember this?
I have a new way of reminding myself how to deal with heartbreak. I’ll call it the five “P’s”~ now stay with me. I have five fingers that make up my hand. My hand and my heart must grasp the five “P’s” - God's Plan Provides Peace for my Problems with His Presence.
When I grasp the five “P’s,” I need to hold onto them, place my hand, my heart, and my hurts into God’s hand, and hold on to His presence. God’s plan is the only perfect way to gain peace for my problems when my heart is breaking. I'm just going to walk around mentally holding God’s hand, knowing He can handle my heartache. I can totally place my fears and doubts with Him, trusting He can mend my broken heart.
How about you? Whose hand are you holding and walking with today? I pray it is the hand of the only one who can heal a broken heart - Jesus!
___
Jill Johnson finds spiritual applications in her everyday experiences as a wife, mother, grandmother, and Georgian.
