Tending to the Broken

Lately, I seem to be collecting people with broken hearts.  Don't get me wrong, it is not a collection that I am creating myself.  It is a collection that comes to me that way.  A friend whose husband of 52 years passed away.  A friend who was hurt badly by another.  A friend whose husband left her.  A friend whose child is quite ill.  A friend who lost a job that he tried so hard to keep.

And more recently, we have collected two short people who were taken away from their family for a time.  Their hearts are broken.

So I have rolled up my sleeves and become the hands and feet of Jesus.  Ministering to the broken when I myself have only recently experienced healing.

Our family digs in with all we have during this season of our life.  Some days we do it well.  Some days we do not.  Nevertheless, we give it our all.

And I am so glad that our two foster kids have run to us for comfort.

Because the broken do not always run to you for comfort.

Sometimes the broken run to you, but only to hurt you (because somehow that eases their own pain).

Sometimes the broken run away from you (because they don't want to face their own pain).

But no matter what the scenario is for the broken person in your life, the bottom line is that they are broken.  And there is only one healer for the kind of broken they are.

Jesus.

No other name.  Not even yours.

Just Jesus.

So in those sad moments when these two precious short people pour their broken hearts out to me, I hold them close and whisper in their ears.  You are safe.  It's going to be OK.  Jesus holds you tight.

And I can't even count how many times I have sung to them "Jesus Loves Me".  And I praise The Lord that when I sing that song,  and they hear that they belong to Jesus and that He is strong, their little bodies relax, and they start to breathe deeply.

Because only Jesus can heal the broken.

We just get to assist.  Are you tending to the broken in your life?