A few days ago while in a deep-hearted conversation with a young aspiring writer, we somehow managed to invade the subject of trust. It seems he'd lost his for anything proven to be human. Sitting there listening to the deeply embedded hurts forming themselves as words from his mouth, I carefully watched the huge lump of disappointment in his throat ascend and descend.
He concluded each narrative with "Nothing surprises me any more. Surprise almost killed me before." Although I'd suffered many hardships in my own life, unable to imagine the measure of pain he felt in his grief stricken heart. Distraught, the young man went on to share more intimate secrets of previously trusting those who soon showed to be unworthy.
With a marriage of twenty years three days away from being legally over, I couldn't help but think how so many have thrown away valuable relationships, friendships, associations taking them ever so lightly. In this person's mind, whatever fates still awaited him, nothing would ever come as a surprise anymore.
His life appeared before him as a script being written daily, the editors changing characters at any given time without warning him. Remembering lines gave the impression of being pointless. Hope, laughter, joy had been canceled.
Refusing to bombard him with biblical scriptures, my ears remained attentive to his hidden weeping. At the end, we both sat back in our chairs and exhaled. Glancing into his eyes, softly I said, "Jesus wept," and the young man began to weep uncontrollably.
In slowly succumbing to the voices of betrayal, loneliness, his heart melted away when he discovered Christ wept also. It was then he confessed reaching the end of his own strength. If Christ knew how he felt, perhaps He'd be willing to help him.
Psalm 147:3 says, "He healeth the broken heart, and bindeth up their wounds." That day he found trust again, and in one whom'd remain faithfully his friend forever, Christ the physician of broken hearts and wounds.
Every time I get opportunity to view someone being resuscitated back to life after the flat line has been called, then "nothing surprises even me any more." Disappointments in life being ever so strong, stormy cannot maintain under the love of our Creator. It is then when we become weak, He becomes strong. In moments of despair, voids of finances, tolerance running low, He remains faithful.
Today, let not your heart be troubled with life's negative inclinations. If you've misplaced your hope in the boundaries of your tears, there's a way of finding it again. There's nothing wrong with discovering nothing surprise you any more, but remember, "Jesus Wept."
Deborah H. Branch, a native of Philadelphia, PA is a Cutting-Edge inspirational author of Nonfiction, Fiction, and Poetry.Unknowing to her mother, at the young age of eight, Deborah became a victim of abuse.She without delay put her trust in Christ to bring comfort to her little shattered heart, and began immediately to learn the importance of forgiveness.Her compassion to help someone else be healed from this horrific stigma became her mission and to share her most intimate stories with others has opened many doors.
Her new book, “Through the Eyes of Abuse” is now published.
An Elder in the ministry where she attends, Deborah is also mother of two adult daughters, and Mom-Mom to three handsome grandsons.She and her husband now reside in Atlanta, Georgia.
"....friends, relationships, and associations taken so lightly..." Too lightly. So very true. I often think about the relationships that I as a young person didn't hold up to their full value. And now I live to regret.
Ms. Sandra, I'm LOL. But I'm honored to have been mistaken for the author of such splendid writing (smile). My apologies, and salutes to you, Deborah. Stay Blessed.
yes the wirld is turning to some ting else, loved ones giving you unexpected dissapoint but we should remeber psalm 23; and deutronomy 28. anyway godd wriye up there
I agree, all around us the world is turning, but we who are in Christ must remain focus. Psalm 23 is one of my favorites. It is the one I quote at night when I can't sleep.
Thank you. In our day-to-day activities I think we often forget to listen closely to the silence. We hear the usual birds chirpping, water running, children's laughter, but for some reason we miss the heart that has stopped beating because of hurt.
Dear Deborah, This is a well-written and emotionally moving article about a compassionate encounter. You were a patient and good listener and what a needed release that was for that man to be able to weep over the many hurts. Thank you for writing this.
» left by Nenita Wells from Providence, RI (138 days 19 hours ago.)
Hi Deborah.
You are very compassionate. Thank you for writing and sharing this article. I truly enjoyed reading your work. I am a believer of this, "Christ the physician of broken hearts and wounds. I have experienced betrayal and was hurt emotionally and I trusted the good Lord for healing.
Good artilce. I cannot help but think that it is so much harder for one who believes or at least professes to believe to have so many trials and hurts. In human perspective none of us would be believers if we didn't hope for something better afterwards. Perhaps that is why so many don't believe? How does one equate hardship and trials to love in the human sense?
Thanks Robert for your comment. The human sense (mind) alone could never equate it. Hurt is hurt. Hardship is hardship. Trials are trials. In pains path of survival the hope you mentioned unfortunately becomes a stranger to our natural sense which is why it is so hard for many to believe. Hope may give no immediate visual sight of answer or rescue to an unbeliever, and requires faith to wait believing along the way for a positive outcome. If we maintain here between the two it will eventually end us at our origination, "LOVE" which hurt, harship, pain often longs for.
Thank you for this article. It brings to my rememberance the fact that only when we are week can we receive forgiveness and offer forgivenessjust as the written Word says.
I appreciate your "keeping me in rememberance." We can forget. You did well to just listen. When one talks with hurt and pain long enough with sincerity, God will appear. In this case, it was God in man, working through man, to get to man. You were his tunnel.
Forgetting comes so easy to some, but if you glance again at the scar where hurt us to dwell, you'll remember "some of these were once you." I simply remembered.
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