Tell Them to Love

Tell them to love.
Tell them that their hearts are not broken.
Consolation is found by diving deep into the cracks that open in your heart.
~Jesus~

Personal, national and global events can open fissures in our hearts. Sitting with all that is wrong with the world may make us feel as though our hearts will never mend, but Jesus tells us otherwise. He suggests that the crevasses are merely invitations to dive deeper into our hearts. We sit in the depths with our pain and suffering until we realize that not only is our heart not broken, it is working as it should. We re-emerge having found courage, empathy, compassion, forgiveness and more love. Like diving for treasure, each time we go deeper we find more of the gold that was buried. We miss the gold when, in response to the pain, we desensitize ourselves by filling the cracks in our hearts with cement. The pain doesn’t disappear. It turns to anger, resentment and non-forgiveness. It is a false sense of relief—instead of lightening our load, it adds weight. Life becomes harder. The way to lighten the load is by diving deep into the cracks that open in your heart. Don’t turn away. The crack doesn’t mean your heart is broken. It means that it is alive and well.

Photo by Ashim D’Silva on Unsplash

// Comments //

Linda S Mitchell

January 12, 2021

Though my timing in responding is always on the “slow-mo” side, I have been so deeply touched by this extraordinary gift, as well as your gorgeous painting that I wanted to respond, even if late! Having been a dental assistant for a year in the 70’s, I was reminded of the imagery of the dental tools cleaning away the plaque and defining the cavities to ultimately provide a refreshed and healthy tooth, mouth and circulatory system avoiding damage to the heart. While diving into the crevices created in our hearts caused by trauma of any kind may not involve a metal pick, it does involve digging deeply and coming to a self-recognition and self-acceptance the process of which can only be described as painful as well as revelatory. God’s Love makes that work shine in humble healthiness and, as you have so beautifully stated, opens our heart for God is forever abiding and with us. This is my way of saying thank you, Theresa.