He Wants Your Broken Heart

"I am so thankful for your heart."

I've heard this many different times from many different people. Every time I've heard it, either as I walked down the hallway from church or when a friend met up with me for coffee - I've always been left confused or sometimes angry from their comment. I would think, "surely they don't realize how broken and bruised my heart is? What do they mean?" How could someone be thankful for a heart like mine? A heart that is tempted to constantly hide from God, a heart that is used to finding fulfillment in other things, and a heart that has been through so much heartache that it lost count. I used to think I knew my heart better than anyone, but it wasn't until The Lord worked in me and showed me that He is the only person who truly knows my heart - and even so He still wants it.

The Bible has a lot to say about the heart, and how deceitful it can be and how we shouldn't follow it's desires. The heart is ever changing. I know for myself, my heart can be broken in a instant and left bruised for awhile. My heart can be quick to hold onto grudges, and slow to open up to others. My heart is full of temptation and pride. This doesn't even begin to cover the surface if we are being real.

Yet, I realized two of the most beautiful words in the Bible, had already been applied to my own life:
"But, God..." opened my eyes.
"But, God..." transformed my heart.
"But, God..."  made me new in HIM.

He gave me eyes to see Him, ears to Hear Him and a heart to know Him.

God's word may say things about our heart, but it also says a lot about what God has done in our hearts. When sin entered this world, we didn't need a behavior change - we needed a complete heart change. Our hearts were once hard as rock, but they're now soften with His spirit within us (Romans 8:11). Our hearts have eternity placed in them (Ecclesiastes 3:11) and our hearts have been made new. (Ephesians 1:7) Jesus came to save us from our sin, but also so that we may know Him and accept Him into our hearts. The Holy, perfect and mighty God wants our bruised, broken and little hearts. How humbling is this?

So when someone says, "I am so thankful for your heart," I now know and believe they're talking about all the work The Lord has done in my heart. My heart is constantly being renewed and sanctified, and it is this that produces fruit for others to see. Yet at the same time, my heart is still ever changing with it's feelings and doubts. One thing doesn't change though, and that's Jesus Christ.

Even when our flesh and our hearts fail us, He is our strength and our portion forever. We can have rest in that, knowing that what Christ did on the cross redeems even the biggest pits in our heart.


- Sam

"Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God. Let Your good spirit lead me on level ground." Psalm 143:10