from Rachel: Straight to the Heart

What was your first real heartbreak in life?

“The only one I can recall was being rejected by all five sorority houses.”

In the following passages, record the circumstances involved, and how God bound up the brokenhearted.

Reference: Genesis 16:1-13
Circumstances: “Hagar, a maidservant (slave?), was forced to carry the baby of her mistress’ husband. Under mistreatment, she fled into the desert.”
Bind Up: “The preincarnate Christ came to her, knew her name, and told her the name of her baby, what he would be like and that he would have many, many descendants.”

Reference: Genesis 39:11-23
Circumstances: “Joseph was falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife and sent to prison.”
Bind Up: “The Lord blessed him there and gave him the trust of the warden and a powerful position.”

Reference: Ruth 1:3-18
Circumstances: “Naomi was widowed and her sons died childless.”
Bind Up: “Ruth refused to leave her to return to her own people.”

Reference: 2 Samuel 12:15-25
Circumstances: “The baby born out of David’s sin died.”
Bind Up: “God allowed them to have another son, Solomon, or Jedidiah – ‘loved by the Lord’”

Read Psalm 127:3-4. How do these verses describe “sons”?

“a heritage, a reward, and like arrows in the hands of a warrior.”

In John 3:16, Jesus is called God’s “one and only Son.”

Use the margin if you’d like to thank Him for looking down from heaven, seeing your need among the millions, aiming His priceless arrow straight at your heart, and sending Christ forth just for you.

“There are no words adequate to thank You sufficiently, God.
“Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
“If I could write it a million-billion times more it would still not be enough.”

Have those words [synonyms for ‘broken’] ever described your heart? “Yes”

Based on the definition of the word “broken” in Isaiah 61:1, at what point do you imagine David’s heart was “smashed” or “torn into pieces”? “when he read the note” [from his wife, who left him]

Can you remember one particular moment when you felt your heart break? “Yes” Did you have any idea at the time that God cared so much that He aimed His Son straight toward your heart? “Yes”

Isaiah 61:1 “He has sent me to “bind up” the brokenhearted.”

Dearest Rachel –

Considering that I was your first and only boyfriend (according to you, and I’ve no reason to believe otherwise, considering that, when I first met you, you simply didn’t seem interested in a male-female relationship of that sort, nor did you really give any indication that you ever would be), it seems odd for you to claim any familiarity with heartbreak. Then again, I had difficulty relating to having one’s heart set on getting into the Greek system, given that I was always contemptuous (perhaps out of some measure of “sour grapes” toward the jocks and other popular people that I knew I wasn’t – and would never be – a part of) of what I understood fraternity life to be like. I didn’t have parents who had positive experiences with the Greek system to encourage me to be a part of it like you did, so that when Rush Week ended without an acceptance from any of the sororities on campus, it felt like you had let them down as much as a repudiation of yourself as a worthy member.

For what it’s worth, that’s just one more reason for them to earn my disdain, as far as I’m concerned. And besides, had you rushed successfully, you would have been so busy with the sorority activities that your entire social circle would have never coalesced around you – particularly myself. I realize I’m small consolation for not having gotten your heart’s desire of what you wanted to do upon getting to college, but I’d like to think it worked out. God just had a different plan for you, after all.

Of course, there’s so much more to life than these sort of earthly concerns, and by the time you were doing this study, you were well aware of (and grateful for) that. I’m not sure I would have written as many “Thank You”s as you did, but that’s probably more of a failing on my part. There’s so much I still need to learn from you, it would seem.

Let’s hope I can before I rejoin you; in either case, keep an eye on me, honey, and wish me luck. I’m going to need it.