Opportunity part 2
The reason God wants a broken heart is NOT because He wants you to be heartbroken. No true father (Father), or parent for that matter, would ever want their child to be anything but happy. And I know that its more of a parents job to make sure their child is cared for, safe, provided for. But if you can make your kid smile... that's the good stuff. So having you beaten down, broken, busted, and disgusted is NOT what God wants for you. I know religion makes you miserable, but Jesus didn't come to give us religion. He came that we might have life, and have it more abundantly. He came to show us the Father. To tell us, and show us, what love is. Because at that time (before the cross), and seemingly many times in our lives, we ARE heartbroken. I heard a comedian once say it like this, "Life's tough. Get a helmet." And I like to say it like this, "Tough times don't last, but tought people do." Because life happens. To all of us. Every day. And as easy as it is to want to shake your fist at the heavens and blame God... I think life is just messy. It doesn't always go the way you want it to. Or the way you think it should. Sometimes life will break your heart. And that's when God has the opportunity to do what He does. To be who He IS. God doesn't want a broken heart because He wants you to be heartbroken. God wants a broken heart--and when I say that, I mean He wants you to BRING Him your broken heart--because only then can He MEND the broken heart. And that's what love does. Expose your cracks, and love will fill them. Love doesn't pile on and make things worse. Love doesn't kick you when you're down. Love lifts you up. Love keeps you from falling. And love can take broken pieces and put them back together. New and improved. Because when we go through something hard... we learn and grow from it. I've said this before but my dad prides himself on making mistakes just about every day... but never making the same mistake twice. While I, on the other hand, prefer to make the same mistake six or seven times just to be sure that its REALLY a mistake. (I'm partly kidding, but I'm also completely hardheaded sometimes.) The point is: Mistakes are GOING to happen. And when we try to do everything ourselves, and refuse to ask for help, that's when things just get worse and worse. I don't like to ask for help. Because I don't like to NEED help. But I KNOW that asking for help is NOT a sign of weakness. It is a sign of wisdom. Its not good for man to be alone. We were not meant to do everything by ourselves. Its too much. Life is meant to be shared. We need each other. Let me quote my verse before I run out of room: "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:9). When we are weak, God has the opportunity to be strong. When we are heartbroken, He has the opportunity to fill us up. With love. With Himself. Fill us to overflowing so that what's inside comes out. Naturally. But I don't think He will often force Himself on us. He's a gentleman. He's always THERE for us. But He waits for us to give Him that opportunity to be who He is. In us, and through us, and as us!