Wednesday Night Recap - Broken Hearted

In the third part in our series entitled, “Heart Check,” we looked at what it means to have a broken heart and how broken hearts can mend. Do you have any physical scars? Amazingly, just about everyone has some type of physical scars. Some we get as kids when we fall off a bunk bed. Others we get when we fall off out bikes. However we get them, scars are a reality of life. Emotional and spiritual scars are also very real in life. Even if we get the heart transplant (discussed a few weeks ago) and then make that whole-hearted commitment to Christ (discussed two weeks ago), if we don’t address the scars, or our broken hearts, our commitment to and effectiveness for Christ can be greatly diminished. Pain is very real. Everyone experiences pain on some level. The only way to avoid pain is to lock ourselves in a room for our entire lives. Not a viable option! Pain also comes in different forms and sizes. Some pain is short-lived and not deep, like a paper cut. Other pain cuts very deep and can stay with us for a while. Pain can essentially come from two different sources, self-inflicted or inflicted upon us. Self-inflicted pain occurs because of the stupid things we do. From the poor decisions we make. Pain inflicted upon us occurs when we aren’t looking for trouble, but trouble is thrust upon us. This could include dealing with your parents’ divorce, sexual abuse, etc. Whatever your pain, we know that God doesn’t want us to live with broken hearts and that he alone can provide healing for our broken hearts. In John 5:1-9, we find the story of a man that has been paralyzed for 38 years. For this time, he has attempted to find healing by waiting on the edge of the pool of Bethesda. The belief was that when the waters of the pool were stirred, the first one in the pool would be healed. This man, because of his paralysis, could get in the pool quick enough. Then Jesus comes along. Jesus began by asking a really strange question, “Do you want to get well?” In my sarcasm, I picture some of us looking at Jesus and saying, “No, that’s ok. I like coming here every day and NOT finding healing!” Jesus’ question though gives us insight into true healing. Healing cannot occur unless we WANT to be healed. This may seem like a stupid point. But in our society, victims are touted and even encouraged to continue to be victims. If we want to be victims, we cannot be healed. We have to desire healing first and foremost. The second point about healing is that we must look for healing in the right places. This man was doing what he thought was necessary to be healed. Every day, he was at the pool of Bethesda to be healed. It just wasn’t happening for him there. How many times do we look for healing in the wrong places? We try to “self-medicate” our broken hearts away. We pour ourselves into our activities to try to make ourselves feel better. Alcohol, drugs, sex, friends, party lifestyle, academics, sports. All things we try to fill our lives with to ease the pain of our broken heart. Just as the paralyzed man was never going to find healing at the pool, we will never find healing until we look to Christ. Jesus brought physical healing to the paralyzed man. How? He told him to get up and walk. This must have been a crazy idea to the paralyzed man. After all, he had been in this condition 38 years! But as the adage goes, the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Healing occurred when the man stood up. Healing for our brokenness occurs when we take the step toward Christ. Broken hearts, if left untreated, will greatly impact our lives every day. What has broken your heart? For what do you need to seek out Christ today for healing and peace? Jesus says, “Come…and I will give you rest.” Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. –Matthew 11:28