“Coddle” vs “Make Whole”
Pastor Dan Mohler said something that has completely transformed the way I minister to myself and others. He said, paraphrasing, that we spend so much time coddling one another’s broken hearts that we forget to teach that our hearts don’t have to be broken. Since hearing this I have chosen not to coddle my flesh. There is no freedom in coddling.
Coddle: to treat in an indulgent or overprotective way, pamper, spoil, gratify, accommodate, wait on hand and foot, satiate.
When I consider the definition of coddle above, I cringe. I do not want to coddle my flesh, for my flesh can lead me away from the things of God. I choose to walk by the spirit, for my spirit takes me towards God. Do I do this well? It depends on the day! But I have made a choice to follow His ways and not my own. So this means I must have another option other than coddling my broken heart and declaring unhealthy vows, such as “I will never love again!” There must be another way…
Make whole: to restore (someone) to a sound, healthy, or otherwise favorable condition.
Ah…so my broken heart can be made whole. Healed. Restored. Not mended or repaired, as with bandages that simply cover a gaping wound, but reinstated to the former condition. As in the way we were created. In God’s Image. Whole.
Before fear. Before pain. Before loss or rejection. Before betrayal. Before abuse.
God sent Jesus to be our Healer. He specializes in healing broken hearts.
“…he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted…” Luke 4:18
And in setting captives free.
“…to preach deliverance to the captives…” Luke 4:18
So if you find yourself buried in a pit of despair or locked in a cell and it seems that there is no way out, look again. Look to the One Who is your Answer.
“Forget what happened in the past, and do not dwell on events from long ago. I am going to do something new. It is already happening. Don’t you recognize it? I will clear a way in the desert. I will make rivers on dry land.“ Isaiah 43:18-19
Some points to consider in the above passage:
- Forget the past; do not resurrect the former things!
- Do not live in the past; move forward.
- God will do something new; this is an unbreakable promise.
- He’s already begun.
- But we have to recognize it.
- He has a path laid out for you; a path overflowing with living water.
God has made a promise to His children that He is doing something good. Really good. But His promise is conditional, as are all of God’s promises. We must perceive it. Comprehend. Discern. Agree. Grasp. Believe. Receive.
God did His part and sent His Son. Now we do ours by believing and receiving.
So I challenge you today – if you sit with your heart broken into a million shattered pieces on the ground, whether it’s due to fear, loss, betrayal, rejection, death…lift up your voice and cry out to Jesus. He won’t mend your broken heart…He will make it whole.
Come to the cross, for He has already carried your burden. So why do you still carry it?
JESUS, YOU ARE MY ANSWER!
(Let’s settle things right away – there is a time to grieve and scripture tells us to mourn with those that mourn. I am referring to those that have remained stuck in their grief and brokenness and see no way out. You, Beloved, have a Healer. A Deliverer. And anyone who calls on His Name will be saved!)
