No Love Lost With God
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (ESV)
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
Valentine’s Day arrives this week. Even as you read these words, you might be struck with different emotions. For some, this special celebrated day will be an excuse to dote on a spouse or special someone with cards, roses, or simply two hours without the kids asking what time dinner will be.
For others though, Valentine’s brings up less pleasant associations. Maybe even “heartbreak.” You might be reminded of love that was one-sided or short-lived, of love for someone who won’t be present this year. For those stung by love, Jimmy Ruffin’s classic Motown song wouldn’t feel out-of-place, “Happiness is just an illusion/Filled with sadness and confusion/What becomes of the brokenhearted/Who had love that’s now departed?”*
For the brokenhearted, it’s easy to grow jaded with the idea of an unchanging, unending love. And God knows that. Psalm 34:18 reads, “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Another Psalm encourages us that God “heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (147:3).
These verses remind us of two truths about God. The first is that He understands our broken hearts, our wounded spirits. The same Savior who came to love a world that rejected Him understands the deep hurt caused by unrequited love.
And not only does He understand the harm false or lost love has done to us, but He offers his love to transcend our raw brokenness. Like a surgeon for your soul, He knows how to perfectly heal the deepest part of you, because He is the only one who truly knows you. He sees the scars no one else sees, the scars you don’t even see. And He’s there to exchange the pain of lost love and the poison of false love for a love that never ends (1 Corinthians 13:8).
This week, as you prepare for Valentine’s Day, know you have a loving Savior who yearns to mend the hearts of hurting people. Also, ask God to show you the brokenhearted around you, people in need of experiencing love as it was always meant to be experienced.