Several summers ago I went through one of the biggest heartbreaks I had experienced in years. I won’t go into a lot of hairy details (bummer, right?), but it had to do with a guy (doesn’t it always have to do with a guy?). I found myself in about a two month stretch of extreme sadness and a bit of depression. I had a hard time eating, a hard time sleeping, and a hard time not crying at my desk at work every other minute.
I was trapped in a cyclical thought process that I was not good enough to be loved.
It was terrible, and I remember being really angry with God during this time because I felt like He had brought this event into my life only for it to be ripped away. Something that had started seemingly wonderful, ended up plowing me over and wrecking me emotionally. This relationship had fallen into my lap quickly and suddenly and then left me shipwrecked. The whole thing felt like a cruel joke that I was not in on, but just the butt of.
That was not the first time I had been upset with God, and I know it won’t be the last. And even though I was really angry with Him, I took my pain to Him.
I am so grateful for a God that allows us to bring all of our emotions to Him. You can take the anger, the sadness, the bitterness, the depression, the loneliness, the confusion and lay it all at His feet. And not only will He not turn away from us, no matter how much we kick and scream, He also understands us and our pain.
Although He’s omnipotent and is greater than our human minds can ever begin to fathom — He gets us. He made us. He knows us. And as if that wasn’t enough, He sent his only son into the world, in flesh form, so that we would know that He gets us. Things can get really dicey for us here on Earth, but no matter what, we have one true Hope that we can cling to.
Jesus has walked in our shoes.
Jesus faced his fair share of heartbreak, ridicule, mockery, and betrayal in His short time on this earth.
Have you ever felt hurt by something your friends said or did? So did Jesus.
Peter, one of His disciples, one of His best bros, denied knowing Him not once…not twice…but THREE times. (Luke 22:54-62) I can’t imagine that felt good.
Have you ever grieved the loss of someone you loved? So did Jesus.
In John 11, we hear the story of the death of Lazarus — a friend of Jesus’. He learns of the death of His friend, goes to comfort the sisters of His friend, and then goes to see where His friend’s body was laid to rest. And then – Jesus wept. John 11:35 — the shortest verse in the entire Bible, but by far one of the most impactful. Even though Jesus knew he was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, He still wept over his body. He knows and has felt the pain a heart can endure when a loved one is lost.
Have you ever felt betrayed by others? So did Jesus.
One of the hardest passages of Scripture to read is Matthew 27:27-31 when Jesus is mocked and beaten before He is carried away to be crucified. Can you imagine the pain, the heartbreak, and the loneliness Jesus must have felt in these moments? I can only imagine He felt hopeless, helpless, and utterly heartbroken.
Jesus has walked in our shoes.
Friend, maybe you are in a place right now where you feel betrayed, heartbroken, or lonely. Remember that time will continue to pull you forward and healing will come as the sun rises each day. And as you continue to fight through your grief, take your spirit, broken or bent, to Jesus and lay it at his feet.
Remember that He once walked this earth and KNOWS what you are going through. He has walked in your shoes. You can rest in this assurance and be confident and faithful that He will deliver you from the fire you are facing now.
There is nothing that we go through that He cannot heal. Cling to His words and hang on for dear life. He will pull you through because He has been in your shoes.
