When I was eight, I jumped into the deep end of a public pool where our friends had gathered for a party. The only problem was, I had forgotten how to swim. Three years before that, a neighbor had taught me to swim. But right after that we moved to where the weather was cold and pools were scarce.
But now I was eight and we had moved back to the Sunshine state where it looked like a neighborhood party was going to be my last.
Struggling to keep my head above water, I felt an arm reach around me, pulling me to the side of the pool. It was a teenage boy. I didn’t know him and I never got his name, but he saved my life that day when he rescued this drowning little girl.
We don’t always struggle with feeling broken from our past. Sometimes it’s all about what we’re going through right now…or maybe something we went through recently.
It’s part of the human experience.
We feel broken when we…
- Lose a loved one
- Sin big
- Lose our job
- Feel invisible, inadequate or unloveable
- Are overlooked
- Don’t know all the answers
- Are afraid to do what we know we should
- Try to do something that doesn’t work
- Allow our fears to paralyze us
- Walk through financial difficulties
- Believe the wrong voices
- Fail God
Just to name a few.
It’s not easy when life is hard and we’re drowning in our own circumstances.. It’s never easy when we fail God. We struggle keeping biblical truth at the forefront of our hearts while our emotions seem to take us on a roller coaster ride through life.
But Jesus is the One who reaches His arm around us and rescues us when we’re drowning in our own circumstances. He’s the One who brings hope and healing to our hurting hearts. He’s the One who calms our fears, speaks truth to our lives and loves us relentlessly.
Feeling broken today? Soak in the truth of God’s Word.
Failed God? “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” 1 John 1:9 ”
Feeling invisible or unloved? “Yes, I have loved you with an everlastinglove; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.” Jeremiah 31:2
Let fear paralyze you? “Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.” Joshua 1:6-7
Feeling far from God? “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
Sweet friend, you may feel broken because of your circumstances, but you are complete in Christ.
If you failed God along the way…maybe sinned in a very public way or quietly disobeyed His voice, you are still His child and nothing can separate you from His love. Some of the greatest forefathers of the faith have done the same. Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David and Solomon, just to name a few. You may have failed Him, but the fact that you still have breath is proof that He’s not through with you yet. He still has a plan for your life and that plan is STILL good.
Today, you may ‘feel’ broken. Life is hard. We fail and we fall. But feeling broken is very different than being broken. Whatever you’re going through today, will you intentionally filter your feelings through the Word of God and trust Him to be who He says He is and do what He says He will do?
If you feel like you’re drowning in the sea of your circumstances will you call out for Him to wrap His loving arm around you and rescue you today?
Let Him bring healing to your broken heart, sweet friend. No one else can and besides…He’s really good at that!
Beautiful, Stephanie! Such great encouragement for those who need it. Bless you!