Mending Broken Hearts

Dealing with Life's Greatest Disappointments

Consider it pure joy, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perserverance. Perserverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4


When I face disappointments or rejection it is hard. To walk through those things with a child is heart breaking. As a parent there are so many roles that you play; disciplinarian, teacher, coach, mentor, nurse, counselor, comforter. In all those roles, we have knowledge based upon things we have read, heard from others, or our own life experiences. At the end of the day, my human abilities fall short.

I have often thought and prayed that I want my children to have a better life than I did, it is the desire for some parents I think, unfortunately not everyone, but in most parents that are in our world. We don't want our children to suffer, to go through disappointments, rejection or heartache. We want to keep their innocense as long as possible for life only gets harder as they get older. We work, bear children, bury friends and parents, friends and family get divorced, sickness and strife. Everywhere we look there is suffering all around us.

Our daughter Abby has gone through some very disappointing times the past few years facing a lot of things I have described, and even a couple of very trying weeks. As a parent I would rather have these things happen to me then watch my child suffer. I often wonder how much He thinks she can handle. However, when I analyze the verse above, I keep wondering what He has in store for her in the future. I can already see a perseverance in her. I can see that she is more mature than most girls her age, although trust me, she is still a teenager at times. The rest of the verse says though that she will be complete, not lacking anything. That tells me that HE is preparing her for something.

How I wish I could spare her from these experiences. It makes me sad to think that during the day she walks this journey alone. But in reality, is she walking it alone? No, He is with her in the places that we can't be. Although she doesn't always feel His presence there, I know that He is there with her. She is not ours to keep. She is only ours on "loan". In truth, she has been and will always be HIS. I have no control of her life, but He knows the plans HE has for her and all these trials which are monumental to her at the moment are allowed by Him to develop her character.

Tonight through a very tough time of disappointment, I said that the only thing I knew was to ask God for wisdom and to comfort and heal her heart for even my words, hugs or just being there cannot heal her. It is only Jesus that can heal her heart for "By HIS stripes, we are healed!" He came as man so He could share in our sufferings. He knows what rejection of man and trials look like because HE experienced them Himself. We are learning to find things to be thankful for even in the disappointments of life!