From the Sides of My Heart!

By Karen ‘Girl’ Friday

“Thank you so much from the sides of my heart!” “I am sorry from the top of my heart.” Ever wonder why we say, “…from the bottom of my heart?”

The thought conveys the heart as the center of emotions and feelings. Saying “from the bottom of my heart,” relays we are sincere in our promise, apology, or gratefulness.

“I love you…from the bottom of my heart.” This is how I feel, from the core of my emotions, for someone. Someone I have poured my life into the last seven years. What I believe Christ meant when he admonished us to make disciples. To come along side of others in life with love and authentic relationship. Through the good places and the rough places. Encouraging, praying, and speaking the truth in love.

Jesus led by example in the authenticity of discipleship.

This person—I love from the bottom of my heart—is wounded. Broken by injustices and deep hurts—like me…and chances are…like you. The wounded and broken often wander into situations where they make the not-so-pretty choices.

Deep-rooted brokenness that chooses the not-so-nice relationships. A place my wounded and broken friend found herself…seemingly unaware of how she got there.

Jarring consequences follow poor choices generated from a broken place. The nasty sting of rejection. The rude awakening of real aloneness. The drastic slap in the face of a downward spiral.

I knew she was wounded…yet the knowledge did not soften the blow when the words came. Words from the wounded—to wound. Words from the broken—to break. Words from the downcast—to trample down.

Words bringing us to a breaking point—cracked right down the middle and shattered in a million pieces. I tried, with some success, to keep my pieces in tack until work, family and ministry obligations were completed. Then, in the dark—tucked between bed covers—I sobbed…drowning my pillow with tears. Tears I held onto earlier—only letting a few leak out—now flowed freely as if the hiding place was a safe place. I cried out to the Lord, “Fix my brokenness.” “And Jesus, fix her brokenness.”

People are breakable. Hearts can be detonated with words, actions, or relentless offenses. Smashed in one hard blow. The top, bottom, and sides of our heart are left disjoined. Laying separate as the pieces of a 3D puzzle no one can figure out.

I know the mender of broken hearts. One whose heart was broken for me. Jesus loves me from the bottom, top, and sides of his heart. In fact, he loved me so much that he gave…his very life on the cross. His heart was broken—so he could put my heart back together. His body was broken—so he could put my brokenness back together. Jesus is sincere as he tells me, “I am sorry you have been broken—cracked down the middle and shattered in a million pieces. I exist so that you can be put back together. All you have to do is ask. This is my specialty—putting people back together—hearts back together. Not one piece will be left out or misplaced.”

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3

Jesus loves you…from the bottom of his heart…from the top of his heart…from the sides of his heart!

 

© 2014 by Karen Friday