How Do You Explain a Broken Heart?

Grief is such a difficult thing to explain with words. How do you tell somebody what a broken heart feels like? How can you explain the feeling of emptiness that echoes like a hollow hole? How can you ever explain the constant gnawing that overrides every thought you have day and night reminding you of your loss? Grief. It’s something that really is not able to be understood completely unless you’ve gone through it.

Life following loss feels as though we have been placed in a foreign land and we cannot speak the language. We try hard, but nobody understands. They speak another language— that of happiness and joy. Our words consist of sorrow and pain. We feel as though we’re not going to make it in this new place, and we long for nothing more than to go back to how things were before our loss. Yet, we know that’s not even remotely possible.

Hope is something that crosses over all borders and travels into every land. Hope can find the tiniest crack and begin to take root and grow. And, when hope anchors to an empty heart, it begins to fill in the holes and we begin to feel like we are no longer strangers in a foreign land. Hope gives us a reason to go on when all logic tells us that we can’t.

God has given us an abundance of hope that surrounds us every day to provide healing when we feel so alone and lost. The sun, the moon, and the stars all point in the direction of God, the Father of all. The ocean and the miracles that lie below the sea remind us that God is always in control. We are not alone, nor have we been forgotten. And, the best part of all is that hope arrives at just the moment when it is needed most! --Clara Hinton

“Hope refreshes the weary soul.” --Clara Hinton

“Do not fear, I will help you.” --Isaiah 41:13b

Hope is a Seed that is Planted in Everyone!

When we are walking the pathway of loss, it often feels like we’re walking all alone. Everyone around us seems to be happy and carefree and surrounded by friends and laughter. The pain of loss turns our world upside down for a while and takes away our clarity of vision. We see things through tear-stained eyes and we feel things through a heart that has been broken. Nothing feels or looks right, and loneliness temporarily sets us apart from everyone.

Hope is a seed that has been planted in the heart of each and every individual. Hope lies hidden during times when life is moving alone at a strong, happy pace, but when we begin to falter and feel like life has lost its meaning, hope comes to the surface and helps us to go on.

Hope arrives at just the right moment and in just the right way. God has planned it that way. A comforting smile that seems to let us know that joy will return. The warmth of the sunshine against our cold, lonely heart reminds us that friendship will once again give us warmth and comfort. The evening stars that light up the sky remind us that we are never walking the path of sorrow and grief alone. There is always a light to help guide us along the way.

Hope is our link to our heavenly Father. Hope reminds us that we are never alone. Hope reassures us that there is joy in the future. Hope gives us a reason to go on! --C. Hinton

“Better times are ahead, so hold on!” --Clara Hinton

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” --Romans 15:13

Spending Valentine's Day Alone

This week we will celebrate a holiday that is typically known as the “love holiday.” Millions of dollars will be spent on chocolate candies and flowers. The phone lines will be busy all day long making calls to special people. The card shops will be busy with all of the last minute shoppers for Valentine’s Day.

Yet, in the midst of all of this happiness there will be countless people grieving losses and feeling the hollow hole that can only be created by being alone. This day, February 14, will be one that will pass by and so many will feel alone, unloved, and forgotten.

Losing a loved one is a pain that is hard to describe. And, losing a child is a pain that is even more difficult to describe because children are never supposed to die before their parents. But, the sad truth is that every day this type of loss occurs leaving many parents grieving and feeling lost in a world that hardly seems to care.

Let us never forget, no matter what type of loss we are grieving, that we are never alone. God has promised to be by our side, to care for us, and to tenderly provide what we need especially during our times of brokenness.

Every time you look at the intricate markings on a flower or see the sunbeams dancing from heaven, be reminded that your Father made them with great care. Remember, too, that He made you, He knows you, and He has known you since the beginning of time. What a thought! We are never alone or forgotten with God as our Father!

On this special day when love seems to be in the air, sit still and allow God to embrace you with His love. Close your eyes and feel His very presence, and know that all is well with your soul when God is by your side! –Clara Hinton

“God is the one and only true love.” --Clara Hinton

“Thou art my hope; O Lord God…..” --Psalm 71:5

Hope is Much Greater Than Worry