This past week, I spent several days visiting
and encouraging my brothers and sisters in Christ. The first day, I visited a friend who is
addicted to meth and alcohol. During our
visit she opened up and shared her struggle with me. As she talked, telling me all that she has
been through, I could see that she is really hurting. Because of her addictions, she has lost her
boyfriend, her children, her respect and the life that she used to live; pretty
much everything that holds value for her.
She is at the bottom and doesn’t see a way out. She is scared, desperate and hopeless.
When she was finished sharing, I shared all that Christ wants
to do in her life; bring her peace, joy, hope, deliverance, restoration,
forgiveness and so much more. As I talked, she listened intently and
acknowledged that trusting Christ was the only hope that she had. She
acknowledged Christ in her head but not in her heart. As our conversation came to a close, I felt
that numbness that I had been feeling about the violence and sin in our society. As I drove off down the road from the yard
where she has been staying, I didn’t like how I was feeling.
As I left, I told her that I would be praying for her. That seemed to give her some comfort but I
could see that she had not surrendered her life to Christ. I know that she will continue to struggle
until she does. There is just no hope
for her except the hope that is found in a personal relationship with Jesus
Christ.
Two days later, as I was driving back to to
encourage more brothers and sisters in Christ, I found myself paying for this
friend. As I prayed, I began to feel a hopelessness
for her that I had not felt before. It
was at the point of feeling her hopelessness that I literally broke down
weeping. Weeping for her situation. Weeping for her loss. Weeping for the hopelessness that she was
feeling. Weeping for the hopelessness
that I was feeling.
After getting myself under control, I realized that I had
begun to feel again. I felt her
pain. I felt her despair. I felt her hopelessness. I felt…….
I began to Praise God for taking
away my numbness. I began to Praise God
for allowing me to feel someone else’s hopelessness. I began to Praise God for giving me the Best
Christmas Present Ever…..A Renewed Broken Heart for the Brokenhearted.
Without a broken heart for the brokenhearted, it is
impossible to live out I John 3:16-18…..”This is how we know what love is;
Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.
And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a
brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be
in that person? Dear children, let us
not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”
I so want to live out that verse! I want to live out that verse with a soft
heart so that the brokenhearted will see the love of God in me. After they see the love of God in me, I want
them to desire to have that same love of God so that others will see the love
of God in them. And then the others will desire to have that love of God and on and on and on………..
I want to reach the world with the love of God in that verse…………
And so I ask you, do you have a broken heart for the
brokenhearted? If so, Praise God! I encourage you to go and live out I John
3:16-18. If not, I challenge you to ask
God to break your heart for the brokenhearted. I challenge
you to ask God for The Best Christmas Present Ever!
Encouraging You Today In Christ!
I would love to hear from you.
God Bless!
