Broken Journey

“God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm147:3)

I turned 73 this past June.  That means I am now just a little bit younger than dirt.  No matter how many years each of us has traveled the journey we call life; I am sure we would all agree that what we have seen, heard, and experienced would fill a book. 

A major portion of my journey has been a life in ministry.  I have spent 45 years pastoring women, the last 4 years in semi-retirement.  In those 45 years I have walked beside the journeys of countless other women that God has directed my path to.  I have had the privilege of teaching the word of God at Bible studies, conferences, retreats, and seminars.  I have held the hands of women as they were ushered into God’s presence.  I have had the honor of bringing the eulogy at their funerals.  I have sat across from women who were loaded with guilt and shame because they had succumbed to having an abortion or an adulterous relationship.  I have counseled women who were beaten, raped, and shot by their husband/partner.  I have wept with women as they suffered great loss.  I have rejoiced with women as they experienced great gain.  I have endured days I thought were endless, nights that were sleepless, and the strain of being a woman in a male-dominated profession. 

Each experience in my journey has been a reminder to me that we live in a very broken world.  And a world that is broken by sin makes us people who are broken by sin.  As a result, every one of us has experienced pain, suffering and heartache.  Deep in the recesses of our minds are memories we are ashamed of, circumstances we still ache from, and people we have been wounded by. 

Our broken journey offers us but one hope to recover from the affliction a shattered, defective world brings us.  That hope is Jesus Christ.  He is the only One who can give us the forgiveness, grace, and mercy we desperately need.  I am writing this blog to encourage you to cry out to him and give him the fragmented pieces of your journey.   Ask him to forgive you for your sins, your mistakes, your disgrace.  Ask him to heal your painful memories and wounded hearts.  Ask him to remove the bitter impressions that keep you awake at night.  Ask him to make whole your brokenness and renew your strength and effectiveness. 

God will heal the broken parts of your journey because he is a God whose love exceeds all human love.  Please listen to Psalm 103:3-5 and ask God to make these verses real in your life. “He forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, He redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, He satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”   

                                                         Darlene