It Takes More Than Time To Heal A Broken Heart - Loving Life Again After Divorce

It Takes More Than Time to Heal a Broken Heart

“He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.” Psalm 147:3 (NLT)

Twenty years ago, I planted four gardenia bushes against the back wall of my house. I had always loved the dainty, white petals and their sweet, clean fragrance. But I never imagined those tiny bushes in one-gallon pots would one day grow to be bigger around than my arms could stretch and taller than me.

Over the years, my children learned to share in my excitement of looking forward to April when tiny little buds would begin peeking out amongst the lush green leaves. Then we would anxiously await the months of May and June when all four bushes would explode with beautiful white blossoms. I would cut blossoms off the bushes every day and tuck them into a vase on my kitchen table, enjoying the scent which permeated my home.

But then, it happened.

I hired someone to trim the bushes back due to their enormous size. A few months later when they looked like stacks of chopped-off scraggly sticks, I became worried. Spring came and my fears became reality. I then learned it hadn’t been the right time of year for a bush trim.

April rolled around. No gardenias. Then May. No gardenias. When June came and went and there were still no gardenias, I gave up hope. I had killed them. They were dead forever. Never to be alive, thriving, and beautiful again. Heavy sigh.

But lo and behold, in July, one gorgeous little bloom suddenly popped out. I got so excited I took a picture of it and texted it to my kids, then plucked that one little fragrant flower and put it in a tiny vase.

My daughter Kaitlyn came home and saw the scattered blooms tucked in the sparse foliage. Her face lit up and she excitedly exclaimed, “See mom! I told you they weren’t dead. They just needed time to recover and heal.”

And a smile crept across my face as I pondered her comment. As I walked back into the house holding my little bouquet of freshly cut gardenias, Psalm 147:3 came to mind, “He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.”

In this verse, we are first reminded that even when we feel alone in our brokenness, we are not alone at all. God is always with those who are hurting and he sees their broken hearts. Then the verse says he ‘bandages’ their wounds. It takes time for wounds to heal, especially emotional ones, but it also takes the intervention of a Savior who will tenderly nurse our wounds until healing has taken place.

Over the past several years, due to the infidelity of my ex-husband and the trauma of going through separation and divorce, my heart has been broken in ways I didn’t know it could break. For many months, I thought I would never feel alive, thriving or beautiful ever again. God has been close by my side during the journey of healing and I know that without him, no amount of time could heal the wounds only he can see. But now, my heart has slowly begun to blossom again, much like my gardenia bushes as they struggled to come back to life.

Maybe today you’re wondering if your heart can ever heal from the hurt that other people, circumstances or loss have inflicted upon it. If so, allow yourself to believe God sees you, hears you and loves you. He knows you can’t do it on your own and he wants you to know he is there to help you begin feeling alive, thriving and beautiful again too.

Anytime we are wounded, it takes time to recover and heal. Our bodies heal on their own because that’s the way we were created, but when our hearts are broken, it takes much more than time – it takes Jesus.

Lord, please heal my broken heart. Fill me with peace and joy I know can only come from you during this hard time. Walk closely beside me during my journey to healing and recovery that I know is possible through Your power alone. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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