Reflections on Heartache
This afternoon as I was making the long trek home from picking up my girls I started thinking about heartache in our world. It’s such a prevalent thing. Think of all the people you pass in a day; some of them might be dealing with the heaviest load they’ve ever been handed. Pretty sad that we just walk right by, isn’t it? This leads to the inevitable question “why does God permit suffering and heartache to occur when He could stop it?”
When you are in the throes of a painful situation it is so difficult to understand why it has to happen, why you have to suffer through it, what purpose it might serve. I have felt that way a few times today; “why me” is never a good game to start playing! During my divorce more women than I could name came to me and whispered that they had been through the same thing, gave me a hug, and told me I’d get through. One of those women became one of the best friends I could ever ask for. Maybe, just maybe, that’s why we have to go through our pain; so we can pull others through theirs. Pain is a part of a broken world; it’s not going to go away, but we can help each other when we see it.
All of this thinking made me turn to Christ’s suffering on the cross. On that dark day He didn’t just suffer physically; He suffered mentally and emotionally, too. While he was on that cross He experienced all of our sin, and all of the pain and heartache that sin caused. So…Jesus has already walked through the pain I am experiencing right now. He has experienced exactly what I am experiencing! He has been here for me; He knows exactly how I feel, and He is holding me through it all. When it gets so unbearable I almost can’t stand it, all I need to do is look to the cross and know He is weeping with me, His heart is breaking for me. He also knows that in a little while it will be okay. I will go through dark days just as He did, but then I too shall rise up.
