Heartbroken.


Break my heart for what breaks yours,
Everything I am for your Kingdom’s cause. –Hillsong

Heartbroken.

I have no doubt you’ve seen the news about George Floyd’s untimely, unnecessary death at the hands of police in Minneapolis. This event has me nearly speechless, even several days later. My heart hurts. It physically gives me pain to imagine anyone, let alone a police officer, having so little regard for another human life as to behave this way. Inconceivable.

We are all God’s beloved children. The outside packaging, the variety of skin color, hair color, language spoken—all these things are what make God’s family so wonderful in its diversity. Imagine how boring Creation would be if there were only one birdsong, one fragrance of flowers—one shade of skin.

It’s horrid enough that over 100,000 lives have been lost to COVID-19. Adding this senseless death to the nation’s misery is, for me, nearly the straw that could break the camel’s back.

What to do? Pray. Lament. Hurt. Cry out. Grieve. You are not alone. We keep saying it, but it’s absolutely true. No matter who you are, no matter where you live, we are all in this together. Weeping isn’t weakness. Lament is a necessary part of grieving and healing. Make time this week to sit in silence. Let your guard down; let your tears flow.

God’s heart is broken; God is, weeping with you. Together, we can heal the wounds of a broken world. Peace.


Monday Religious leaders have called for a National Day of Lament today. Pause. Weep. Be angry if you need to. Rest in God’s arms. Psalm 22

Tuesday Healing begins when we admit we are hurting. Is there a space in your life you’ve been refusing to admit your pain? Pray about it. Let it go. Mark 10:47

Wednesday Open your eyes to the goodness all around you. Turn off the news. Journal from your heart. Mark 9:14-24

Thursday Fear and anger sell newspapers and fuel ratings. Remember that as you read about and watch what’s happening in the world. Pray for the angry and fearful. Psalm 44:24-26

Friday Mr. Rogers reminds us to look for the helpers in the world. Where do you see people offering random acts of kindness? What random acts can you offer? Jeremiah 31:15

Saturday Mahatma Gandhi taught his followers to be the change you wish to see in the world. As you pray for yourself today, ask God to guide your heart to make your corner of the world a better place. Ezekiel 2:9-10

Sunday What brings you to worship this week? Whether you’re worshipping alone, on Zoom or some other way, you are part of the Family of God. Matthew 2:18

The world is so full of a number of things,
I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.
--Robert Louis Stevenson

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