Choose to be broken
On Sunday night, I read about a fatal shooting at an LDS church building in Nevada. The news hit particularly close to home, as earlier that same day I also sat in a chapel singing hymns with my brothers and sisters in Christ. I can't imagine having my peace shattered with the crack of a bullet.
And this act of violence doesn't even scratch the surface of the tragedies that occur every day.
With the constant stream of bad news, it's difficult not to lose faith in humanity or to lose faith in God. It's difficult to avoid becoming cynical, numb, or hardened.
These feelings (or the lack thereof) are often likened to having a hard heart. In the scriptures, people who are rebellious against God are described as having hard hearts, but I believe our hearts can be hardened by more than just sin.
Health issues, failed relationships, corrupt politicians, loss of loved ones, financial difficulties, and mistreatments by others can all cause our hearts to be hardened.
Life's trials can also cause our hearts to break. We especially reference broken hearts during break-ups with a romantic partner. The scriptures also use this phrase when discussing sin: We are told to "offer up a sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit" as we repent of our wrongs.
We can respond to hardship by either hardening or breaking our hearts, and I believe the choice is up to us.
I hope we always choose to have broken hearts.
A broken heart is an open one -- open to the love of others, to the Spirit, and to Christ. Christ can heal a broken heart, but I don't think He can soften a hardened one. If our hearts are broken, we don't keep bitterness, hate, and despair trapped inside a hard shell. Instead, we can release those feelings and share empathy, compassion, and hope with others -- traits that the world desperately needs.
Conditions don't seem to be improving in our world. Natural disasters, drug abuse, and gun violence continue to make headlines and devastate lives. We may feel beaten down by our trials, but as Ariel Szuch put it, our brokenness is a gift. She says,
"Our brokenness connects us to each other, and our brokenness brings us to Christ... Sharing our brokenness brings meaning to experiences, and the connection we make with others when we share our stories brings healing."
I hope that we can avoid becoming hardened and that we can instead choose to be broken and then that we can choose to be made whole.
And this act of violence doesn't even scratch the surface of the tragedies that occur every day.
With the constant stream of bad news, it's difficult not to lose faith in humanity or to lose faith in God. It's difficult to avoid becoming cynical, numb, or hardened.
These feelings (or the lack thereof) are often likened to having a hard heart. In the scriptures, people who are rebellious against God are described as having hard hearts, but I believe our hearts can be hardened by more than just sin.
Health issues, failed relationships, corrupt politicians, loss of loved ones, financial difficulties, and mistreatments by others can all cause our hearts to be hardened.
Life's trials can also cause our hearts to break. We especially reference broken hearts during break-ups with a romantic partner. The scriptures also use this phrase when discussing sin: We are told to "offer up a sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit" as we repent of our wrongs.
We can respond to hardship by either hardening or breaking our hearts, and I believe the choice is up to us.
I hope we always choose to have broken hearts.
 |
| Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash |
A broken heart is an open one -- open to the love of others, to the Spirit, and to Christ. Christ can heal a broken heart, but I don't think He can soften a hardened one. If our hearts are broken, we don't keep bitterness, hate, and despair trapped inside a hard shell. Instead, we can release those feelings and share empathy, compassion, and hope with others -- traits that the world desperately needs.
Conditions don't seem to be improving in our world. Natural disasters, drug abuse, and gun violence continue to make headlines and devastate lives. We may feel beaten down by our trials, but as Ariel Szuch put it, our brokenness is a gift. She says,
"Our brokenness connects us to each other, and our brokenness brings us to Christ... Sharing our brokenness brings meaning to experiences, and the connection we make with others when we share our stories brings healing."
I hope that we can avoid becoming hardened and that we can instead choose to be broken and then that we can choose to be made whole.
Comments
Post a Comment