How Can My Wounded Heart Heal?

Think of the pain in your heart like a heart wound. As the psalmist says, the pain hurts to the depths of our hearts. Compare this pain in your heart with a physical wound, like a deep gash. How is a heart wound similar or different?

After a disaster, you need to take care of the wounds of your heart so you can recover. With physical wounds, we must remove dirt and bacteria to avoid infection. To treat a heart wound, you need to express your pain.

Find someone you can tell your story to, someone who is able to listen without making you feel worse. That person needs to keep what you share confidential, and listen to you without trying to fix you, or give you quick solutions, or compare your story to theirs. Choose this person carefully. Often people who have good intentions try to tell you how to fix a problem. You may need to remind others when you need them to just listen and understand rather than trying to advise you.

Don’t let anyone pressure you to tell your story if you don’t feel comfortable or ready to do so. You may need to tell your story bit by bit over time. Like a bottle of soda that has been shaken, you may need to let out the fizz little by little to keep from overflowing. You may also need to retell your story many times in order to accept what has happened and work through different parts of it.

As you share, tell what happened. When you’re ready, move on to how you felt while it was happening. Finally, focus on the part that was the hardest for you.

For Reflection

• How does it feel to tell part of your story to someone else?
• Would telling your story help you think differently about what happened?