Warm and cuddly when we are young
Should be our provider and protector
Stands up for us over the course of our lives
Builds us up when life beats us down
Surrounds us with love and guidance
If we are daughters teaches us how to be God-fearing women
Teaches us how to mother our children
Is our example of how to be a grandmother and elder of the family
Leaves a legacy of motherhood and a footprint of love for years to come
The brokenness some of us feel from the tragedies of life can feel like an elephant sitting on our chest. We can find ourselves wondering if we will ever heal. Healing is not something that happens overnight. It takes years of working to be free from so many broken areas.
Some people believe they will just snap out of the hurt. The reality is that it takes time. It can take years to fully heal. You really have to work on yourself. One part of the healing process is recognizing that there are areas of brokenness in your life.
Brokenness is not a bad thing or something to be ashamed of. We all get broken by life. We all have been broken in some area or another. Some of us live our lives not healing. We are often are so broken that we self-sabotage the things in our lives that matter.
We may hurt the very people that want to love us. We also can be in survival mode all the time. Sometimes we have walls built up around us and live in fear of being hurt again.
You can begin your healing process in therapy. Counseling is one way to uncover the areas that need healing. Finding the right therapist can be a challenge but once you have found your match it can be a blessing.
Healing with people who have had similar experiences is also healthy. You can find these groups in your community.
If you have had issues with domestic violence, for example, you can reach out to a local agency and see if they offer a support group. Sometimes healing can be easier when you realize you are not alone in your hurt.
It is also a great way to meet new people and make new friends. Some of us can find support groups in our local church. I always believe the church is a spiritual hospital and often helps a lot of us get through life.
When you are hurt and need to heal, try not to make decisions based on brokenness. We have all done it. I have not arrived but I strive to be better one day at a time.
Healing from brokenness is not an easy feat. It takes time, patience, and a willingness to heal and not remain stuck. As life takes its course we can easily find ourselves broken and struggling to heal. No one is exempt from these struggles. Over time healing does happen.
You need a safe space to heal. You need people in your life that do not continue to keep you bound. Freedom is found in God. No matter what Jesus’ Resurrection is liberty and freedom from anything we face. Brokenness does not have to remain a constant reminder of the pain we felt from being hurt.
Live to heal, one day and step at a time.
There is nothing we go through that God does not see us through. The things we go through can be extremely hard to bear. It can make us question who God is. We may also question whether God is with us as we go through it.
This life we live is hard and comes with times of despair. How do we keep a relationship with God through the storms? I must say it takes a believer, who is relentless about, letting God in. We must let Him in despite how much life can hurt. It is not that I have arrived. It is that believing in God who is greater than my troubles has taught me to go through with God.
Let’s see what God does in troubling times in the word:
And Moses said to the people, Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace. And the Lord said to Moses “why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward” (Exodus 14:13-15).
Can you imagine the fear the Israelites must have had at this moment? Their enemy was behind them but relentless in pursuing them. Freedom from years and years of bondage ahead of them. God was there for them in ways that seem like a fairytale to some. As a believer when I look at this scripture I see how big God is. There are experiences I’ve had in my own life that have a significant impact on how for me this is not a fairytale. It is an illustration of who God is.
Testimony from my own life:
A few months ago I was abused by an employer. I faced legal issues and lots of stress and this employer did everything they could to try and intimidate me into being silent. I prevailed over them in court and through all the lies they told. God had me in a situation to teach me to be still and allow Him to work. I had no lawyer, but I had God. I did everything God told me to do and at the very end, the case was dismissed.
Let’s break this down:
No matter what we face God is with us. The Israelites were facing a red sea. I was facing legal trouble and intimidation. No matter what it is, go through with God’s hand. His righteous hand will hold you up as long as you follow his instructions and be obedient. Only a few people knew what I faced. God was concerned about showing me He would see me through.
No matter what is in front of you God is with you in the storm. When I took that job a few months ago I did not expect to go through what I did. I could have got mad at God and said “why did you not warn me about this”. I had those thoughts but God let me know I sent you there to bring change. In the beginning, I could not see how. I now know that it is highly unlikely someone else who takes that job will experience similar abuse.
The Israelites were extremely afraid. I must admit facing a giant ocean is more than intimidating, it is terrifying. They had really only one choice to go forward or remain in bondage. In life, it can be that way with God. God can be asking us “are you going to lay down and let the enemy prevail over you or are you going to trust me to give you the victory”. When God said, “why do you cry to me, tell the children of Israel to go forward”. It was not optional it was a command.
All of us can look back over our life and know that God got us through things that we may have thought we would not survive or overcome. God looks out for all of us. God is bigger than everything we face. Unfortunately, everything we go through is not a bed of roses. Some of the things we face are hard and troubling.
I want my readers to know what I went through did not feel good and I was fearful, no lawyer, never been to court, but I trusted Him. I did it afraid with God’s assurance I would prevail. This is what faith is (Hebrews 11:1). God is with you in the storm.
God prevails when we give the troubles of this world to Him. It is hard to master. We all want to control more than we actually are capable of. The hardest part in hard times is letting go and letting God do His best work.
God understands that in life there are losses no matter how hard we try to perfect our lives. There are no troubles too hard for God though in our limited abilities we may feel crushed.
I learned recently that being still and letting God work is best at times. We often make a mess of things when we try to do it our way. Being disobedient to God can bring negative consequences.
“Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10)”. In this scripture God is saying He is able. He illustrates for us to trust Him. He wants us to be still and allow God to work in our lives. Being still can mean doing nothing even in troubling times. When we give things to God we have to leave it there.
The scripture goes on to say that God will be exalted above the heathen and in the Earth. God is higher than any of the troubles we face. There is nothing God can’t help us overcome.
Our God is able to move mountains out of our lives. Keep pressing there is greater on the other side.
The troubles of life hurt
The decisions we make don’t always work
Depending on God is the source of our strength
When life seems unbearable pull from God’s fortress
Life hurts sometimes
No matter what life brings press through the rain
Work with God to get through the pain
The etched memory of our past hurts but trouble doesn’t last
Our eternal resting place is worth more than issues of our past
No matter what with God all things are possible to work
Even though life hurts
Nothing felt the same
The more we cried the more it rained
Doubt sets in and we wonder where God is
There was so much fear in moving forward
The emotional pain was rooted in brokenness
When we feel lost
Life seems impossible to live
Dreams are crushed
There is so much sensitivity to offenses
No matter how lost we feel
We can tap into a God that redeems
When we feel lost
Strive to be redeemed and break the roots of losing one’s self
When we feel lost
We are found again in Jesus Christ
We were lost but now allow God’s redemption to set us free
By: Shakera Williams
Resilient Inspired Spiritual Excellence R.I.S.E. 