Not the one in my chest that beats to keep me alive, where blood pulses and chambers open and close.
My other heart.
The one intangible, yet the one I feel all the time. The one that has no beat, yet is the key to my life. The one which can’t be touched with a surgeon’s knife, yet feels pain more keenly than any other limb or organ in my being.
That heart.
It has known joys, it has lived through sorrows, it has soared with sheer delight and it has carried agony.
Even more so, it has known the dull ache of chronic pain. The kind you just can’t shake. And just when you think you’ve fended it off for the last time, things are revealed (even if they’ve been known before) and the heart feels them fresh and new and it hurts. The heart remembers what it has been through – not in an unforgiving way, but in a way that says, “I will never let this happen to me again.”
It’s a trust issue to let God handle our hearts and hurts when in actuality we would rather let the person who hurt us know just how deep the pain runs. I’d much rather inflict a little as payback than concentrate on what I need to do to get better. It’s my healing I need to be concerned with. It’s my progress that I need to look to God for.
I know this……God is the only one who can heal my wounded (other) heart.
And as it heals, there’s a weak spot where the break was. A spot that’s prone to give a little now and again; not coming fully unattached as perhaps it had done before, but opening up just enough to let my tears gently wash over and through, cleansing out the debris living in there which keeps it from adhering together once again. One day my tears will cease and the mend will fuse, but there will be a scar as a remnant and reminder of what went before….fixed now, but with a permanent change to the landscape so that I don’t go down the same road again and sear it open for a second time.
God’s provision to keep forgetful me and my (other) heart on the straight and narrow.
My heart.
The one I can’t see, hear, smell or touch.
But that one that I can, most definitely, feel.
By Beth Coulton, Chocolate for the Heart
ABOUT BETH COULTON
Beth Coulton is a wife, mom, sister, writer and photographer who loves Jesus, laughter and chocolate. Beth blogs about all that and more at Chocolate for the...
 Heart on http://www.incourage.me){kind=link}
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
He can heal wounded heart and give peace to a troubled mind, we just have to let Him….all good things.
Yes Charina- He’s the ultimate healer! He does it best and He does it completely.
I am praying for healing of the dull ache in my own “other” heart. Thank you for giving me perspective.
Geri- you are so welcome. Praying with you today for that healing touch from God.
Beth…that was beautiful. Thank you for sharing that. Have a great day!
Bella- thank you – I appreciate it! You have a great day too!
Oh wow, Beth! The image you paint of the healing {other} heart resonates right down to my soul. Beautiful words ~ thank you for gifting us with them here today!
Kristen – thank you so much! It’s a pleasure and an honor to be here- to God be the glory!
Praying for all wounded hearts everywhere!
God is the ultimate healer & if we would just take time to let Him & listen to Him–He can heal our hurts & mend all broken hearts!
Wonderful words Beth!
Great prayer because as I’m finding, wounded hearts are indeed everywhere. But then again, so is God! Thanks for your comment, Beth!
Yikes. Focus on ME?! But it’s so much less accusing to focus on others. ; )
Definately a reminder that I needed today (and most days).
It’s like what I tell my kids, “The grade you get in that class is YOUR fault and YOUR fault only.”
Kaitlin – Amen to that!
Kaitlin – Amen to that!
I think we all know that “other” heart well, experiencing our own share of aches and delights. But few of us can so poetically put our other-heart feelings into words as you have done, Beth–beautiful words for reflection.
Thank you Julie… God is good and God is the healer and God gives the words.
Oh, that was just beautiful! I love the pictures you paint with your words.
Amy – thank you! Blessings to you today.
Sitting in my car. Stuck. Unable to will myself out, and there your post pops up in my email. And your words cut to the core of where I find my heart. Utterly broken, crushed, without hope. Places that I think are mended only to be ripped wide open and spilled out again. And I hear your words and long for the day that the breaks will mend and fuse and repair. Thank you for the reminder that one day they do heal. Thank you for sharing words that encourage me to stay on the path to better. God bless you
Melissa- I’m so thankful to God that He used what I wrote to encourage you! I’m sorry to hear of your heart struggles, and will keep you in my prayers.
That day is coming when He will mend it all, so keep seeking Him, pursuing Him, loving Him, even when the hard times come. Especially when the hard times come. He loves you so much.
Beth,
Bam! Incourage is posting some rocking posts today. Enjoyed this, and now I’m off to peek at your blog!
Amy- thanks! I appreciate your support and encouragement. And the “Bam!” completely made me smile!
I’ve had my heart healed quickly in some instances in the past, and healed over time in others, but I can testify that God is the healer of our hearts, and He can put broken hearts back together and make them strong again, and even stronger than beore. Strong with His joy and His peace. We just have to keep placing our hurting hearts in His healing hands.
Wonderful insight Kathy- yes, you are so right about that. He is the perfect healer of our hearts.