Healing the Broken Heart…Wholeness Pathway to Spiritual Health
…An excerpt of the teaching of the broken heart
There is no other joy like the one of knowing you are whole and complete. There is no other sadness as knowing you are broken and incomplete.
Over fifty years ago my father walked out of my life. He left mom with me and my sister searching for a better life. Memories of going to the entry door waiting for my father to come home for dinner and have a time with him are vivid to me. I do not remember the reason for his leaving us. All I know is that he was gone from my life only to see him on occasion.
He left and our hearts were broken. I did not realize my heart was broken. Being so young, about 4 years old, I can only remember the waiting and the asking, “When is daddy coming home?” Time passed and I grew up. Life was not a threat, just not complete. There were times of joy and happiness but it did not last. Instead of enjoying life, life was a struggle. I accepted it as the way life is. I knew no difference.
Many people live with a broken heart and do not realize their heart is broken. They live life half full without truly knowing why life is full of heartache, sadness, despair and why it is joyless. Misery, pain and struggles characterize their lives. Even Christian believers have a broken heart and do not fully know how to heal the wound.
The Lord Yahshua (Jesus of Nazareth) came to heal the broken-hearted according to Isaiah 61:1.
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted….”
It has been my experience both personally and professionally to see how the Church understands the healing factor of Messiah’s mission. I see people in the Church without joy and peace. They live in a passive tormented state. As a result, they are always searching for those “works” that will turn their bondage around. Being involved in church work does not heal the broken heart, although it may soothe the unrecognized pain found therein. Nor does ignoring the lack of fullness of joy with which Abba Father, in all His wisdom, desires to bless His spiritual children ease the discomforted broken heart.
How is the heart broken? How can one detect a broken heart? Why is the heart broken? What happens to the heart when it is broken? How can the heart be repaired? These are few of the questions people have asked me. Once a person realizes the state of their heart, healing and repair can be applied. The Lord Yahshua came to “heal the broken hearted”. He has given us the keys to the Kingdom to bring that healing to the lives of those who want spiritual health.
There are four guards to the heart. Each guard was established by the One True God, Yahweh, during the creative events in mankind’s history. The guards are there for protection and covering. Each enables a person to grow and mature mentally, emotionally, spiritually and relationally.
The soul contains all the emotions, will and intellect of a person. It has been said the soul is established by what is found in the heart. Repair the heart and you will repair the person. The heart reaches into the soul and the spirit of a person. It has the unique ability to ebb and flow between the two. From the heart, character, courage, perseverance and much more resound.
Psalm 23 alludes to the significance of trust, relationship and safe-haven as it depicts the symbolism of the love the shepherd has for his sheep. From that Psalm a base is laid. The four guards to heart are love, trust, relationship and safe-haven. Each has a significant area to protect. When there is breach in any one of those guards, the heart is pierced causing wounding. If the breach is not repaired correctly the wound will not heal. If the wounding is not tended correctly, it will become infected. Yahshua, the Lord Jesus of Nazareth, came to bind up and heal the broken-hearted.
Trust is defined as the confidence one has in another. It has the meaning of being able to rely on someone else’s integrity and ability. It is to confidently be assured that the other person is dutifully able to fulfill their task and responsibility. We trust our parents to care for us and provide the necessities of life while under their care. We trust our employers to be faithful in their employment agreements.
Love is a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. There are several words in Scripture (Greek) that better explain the different level of love. Agape love is best described as Godly love or the love that God has for His creation. Agape love is unconditional that involves a love that is sacrificial and abounding without restriction or condition. The second type of love is Sturgeon love. This is what is known as parental love. It is a natural love between a parent and their children. There is Philo, which is a love that is brotherly and based on friendship. This love is based on relationship especially a relationship that is concerned more with another than with self. The final word is Eros. From Eros we have the word erotic. It is a sensual, soulish and base type of love steeped in pleasure and gratification. The heart is pierced when Sturgeon/parental love or Philo/relationship love is violated or Eros /erotic love is abusively inflicted.
Relationship refers to a connection or involvement, especially an emotional connection between people. Relationship ranges from casual to intense. This area flows with interaction with others based on the level of love and trust in the relationship. The more one trust the other person, the deeper and more intense the relationship becomes. This can establish a strong marriage, friends for life, partners in business, pastor and church, work-related interactions and strong bonds between parents and children or between siblings.
Safe-haven is an area, like home, that is maintained as being free from attack and hostility. The home is the safe-haven of importance. It is in the home where a person can be free to express and unfold one’s life without repercussion from others. Education, correction and direction are provided in the confines of love, trust and relationship. Other safe-havens can be the church where one is able to express and be guided through issues of life without fear of reprisal or it can be a friend’s home where the feeling of safety is greater than other places.
Matthew 12:34 states, “…For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks….” Clearly, the Scripture is teaching a connection between behavior (what is done) with expression (what is said). “Out of the abundance of the heart” means what fills the heart will be exhibited and expressed in words either causing damage to another person or bringing encouragement and well-being. Words are powerful in inflicting wounds and pain. Similarly, actions or absence of actions that reinforce love, trust, relationship and safe-haven inflict or reinforce the pain one suffers. There are many wounded people in the church.
People need the LORD and they need their hearts mended.
What are some of the characteristics of a broken heart?
Shame, Low Self Esteem, Doubts of Worth or Obsession with Worth, Poverty Mentality and Lack of Love for others, God or self and much more are some characteristics.
How is the heart broken? It is broken when any one or several of the four guards are breached. Proverbs 12:18 relates, “There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, But the tongue of the wise promotes health”. The heart is pierce through words and actions. It is healed by the wise application of words and actions that repair the breach and heal the wound.
If you sense or know your heart’s guard was pierced by someone breaking Trust, Love, Relationship or Safe-Haven, contact us for ministry and restoration. Yahshua said, “I have come that they (you) may have life, and that they (you) may have it more abundantly”. (emphasis added)
This is an excerpt of the teaching of the broken heart