Jesus Understands Our Heartbreak

Grief is raw. It has no expiration date. It has no timetable. Sometimes it’s a leaky faucet. A glaze of tears that blur the vision when a particular memory reminisces the mind. At other times, the pipe bursts and tears emerge from the wellspring of your soul in heaves of sorrow for the loss of the person whose embrace you crave. If we could only hear their voice. If we could ask a quick question. If we could only see their smile. If only…

I sat in the darkness of my room and hit play. My dad’s voice filled the air via a saved voicemail. The pipe burst. Tears leapt from my lashes. If only…

Jesus understands our heartbreak. Not only does He understand it, He bore the cross for it. Conquered death. He is the Resurrection and the Life. 

When our faucets leak or pipes burst in the brokenness of our human hearts, may we take comfort in knowing He is near. 

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18

Homage to Valentine’s Day

Going from a graduating class of fifty to a biology class of hundreds at Texas A&M was quite the culture shock my freshman year of college. On Valentine’s Day, my dad made the trek to College Station just to take me to lunch. To give me a hug. To tell me he believed in me, and I was dearly loved. I don’t know what he had to rearrange on his schedule that day, but I was a priority. I won’t forget the gift of his presence at that tumultuous moment in my life. 

This Valentine’s Day, I challenge us to look past the flowers, candy, and sentimental cards and give our loved ones the best present of all- our presence.