Brokenhearted

May 25, 2022

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he saves those whose spirits are crushed.”

Psalm 34:18

My sister Carol collected Swarovski crystal figurines and had over 50 of them in her collection. I am not a collector, and aside from an angel with a trumpet which reminds me of the angels over Bethlehem to announce Jesus’ birth, and a ladybug which reminds me of my mom, I have the task of finding homes for them.

Rod and I had to pack them up quickly when we moved Carol’s things out of her room in Ohio. Four of the figurines broke in transit, and I sat down this afternoon to try to glue them back together. I succeeded in attaching one of the flags to a sailboat but failed miserably in putting the rocking horse back together making things worse by breaking off the tail in the process. I felt like one of the king’s soldiers and men who couldn’t put Humpty together again.

It seems like the longer I travel on this spiritual journey, the easier it is for my heart to be broken by the pain in this world, as well as my own pain. That’s tough for fixers and healers, and doubly tough when it’s our hearts that need healed. I take comfort in the words of the Psalmist, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he saves those whose spirits are crushed.”

It’s not so much God’s omnipotence, but rather God’s omnipresent love. When I am brave enough to allow myself to descend to the deepest places of pain, what I have discovered is Presence, love, and assurance that I am not alone, that the Holy One knows from experience, the pain. That’s what puts me back together again, the glue that holds even my brokenness together. “For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ.” 2 Corinthians 1:5

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted! ~ Anne