As radio host on a Christian radio station, I regularly receive heart-breaking messages from listeners who are living through desperately sad circumstances. One such listener wrote in asking for prayer. At 50, his marriage had ended and with two young children to look after, he was worried for them and felt hopeless, isolated and lonely.
Sandra is another listener and as she told me her story, I realised again just how fragile matters of the heart are. In the book of Proverbs in the Bible, we read
“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” – Proverbs 4:23.
Sandra was neglected as a child and fell pregnant at a young age. She thought that moving in with her boyfriend would make things better but they only got worse. This man abused her physically and sexually and left her bruised and broken. When Sandra met Val, a friend of her boyfriend, she instantly noticed something different about him. He had kind eyes and his gentleness drew her to him. She felt safe with him.
Sandra soon left her boyfriend and started dating Val. He told her about Jesus, the one who’d made the difference in his life. If Jesus was the reason Val was the man she now loved, she also wanted to know him. Jesus changed Sandra’s life. He healed her broken heart and in time, she married Val. As she now looks back after more than twenty years together, tears still come to her eyes as she contemplates how blessed she is. She opened her heart to real love – love from Jesus and love from Val – and that has made all the difference.
I know someone else who loved deeply. A girl broke his heart though and he vowed never to love again, and he hasn’t. Whenever I’m in his company, I sense an ache in his heart and a deep longing for love but it will take a miracle for his heart to soften to love again. Jesus is the miracle Maker though and my prayer is that this man will bring his hard, cold heart to Him to fix.
One of the best pieces of advice I was given before I got married was from my friend Dudley, “Always keep a soft, open heart towards each other”.
Life’s too short to live with a cold, hard heart. Quickly forgive anyone who’s caused you an offence and surrender your hurting heart to the One who can heal you – your Maker. You may have to forgive the same person over and over until you know you’ve really forgiven them but remember that your forgiveness doesn’t let them off the hook, it lets you off the hook. Now you can live free from those who’ve broken your heart and be open to those who want to heal it.
We must be wise in choosing the company we keep but don’t allow a hard heart to be your guide. Your world will change for the better when you allow yourself to love and be loved. The Bible tells us that Jesus came to bind up the broken hearted. If you have been hurt and need your heart to be healed, place it in the hands of Jesus and see what a difference He can make it your life.