Breakup With HeartbreakChikamu

Broken Heart Surgery

It was almost one in the morning, and I was on my way home from a camping trip in Zion National Park with two friends over Thanksgiving weekend. We arrived at our campsite on Thanksgiving Day and discovered a feast of turkey, mashed potatoes, and all the fixin's awaiting us at the lodge near our campgrounds. After a few days of hiking miles of rigorous terrain, making coffee over the fire, and eating our body weight in beef jerky, all I could think about was taking a hot shower and curling up in my cozy bed.

I was desperately trying to stay awake when I felt God prompt me to pray. My heart was so full from my time spent in nature, laughing with my friends and indulging in the simple pleasures camping provides. It was the happiest I'd felt in a long time, and I didn't want that joy ever to leave me again. Four months prior, I had broken up with someone I thought I'd spend the rest of my life with. I imagined this man building me a house in the middle of an open field surrounded by pine trees and being the father of the children I always dreamed of. I believed God had brought us together, and I didn't understand how something so beautiful could end instantly. How could someone promise me the world and, in the next breath, walk out my door without saying goodbye? I didn't have answers, but during the months following our breakup, I began to seek healing in the presence of God. Though it felt like an eternity, God quickly comforted my heart and took me through a healing journey I hope to share with you.

As I began to continue praying in the car, a scripture billowed up in my heart:

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted..." (Isaiah 61:1).

I heard the voice of God in my heart say, "Esther, I have called you to bring healing to those tormented with a broken heart." As clear as day, I began to see a picture in my mind of a wound being wrapped with ointment and gauze to protect it from infection and provide a safe environment for it to heal. During our hiking escapades in Zion, I managed to bang my hand against a giant boulder exposing a wound on my finger that was still healing. I immediately tried to cover the wound with a Band-Aid from our first-aid kit, but it was too small, wouldn't wrap around my finger, and kept flying off. After several replacements of the same Band-Aid type, I'd finally bugged Jackie (the keeper of the first aid kit) enough to have her yell, "Girl, get yourself a Band-Aid that actually works!" So I dug through the box, and low-and-behold found the motherload of gauze and Band-Aids big enough to do the job. I wrapped that baby up and didn't have to touch it again until a few weeks later, when my wound was completely healed.

That might be a cheesy story, but I believe it's a picture God wants to give you about your broken heart. You may have experienced things that have re-opened your wound, one you thought was healed. You may have lost a friendship, a boyfriend/girlfriend, or are grieving the loss of a miscarriage or family member. Whatever the wound may be, I want you to know that Jesus wants to wrap your heart in His presence. He wants to remove your wounded heart from environments that threaten more harmful infections. He longs to comfort and care for your broken heart and make it whole again. It might not be instant, but it will be worth the journey back to wholeness. Are you ready?