Broken Relationships: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?

As I began to write about broken hearts, a song kept running through my mind (watch the song video below).  We’ll look at the song lyrics, and you can watch the song video, but first, let’s consider broken hearts.  

Broken Hearts and Broken Relationships

Broken hearts often lead to broken relationships.  Some are broken with biblical justification, such as adultery, abuse, or abandonment. But others are severed outside of the will of God and, therefore, can be classified as sin.

Now, you might be thinking that sounds kind of harsh.  But as Christians, we are called to be one, united in love, and living in a way that reflects Jesus. And Jesus’ way is love and unity, not brokenness.  He came into our world to fix man’s brokenness with God and to heal man’s broken heart (Luke 4:18). With His help, we can do the same in our broken relationships.

Jesus Brought Reconciliation 

Jesus’ death on the cross paid for our sins and opened the way for us to receive forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, and a love relationship that is without end. There is no greater picture of love, forgiveness, and reconciliation than the Father’s sacrifice in sending Jesus and Jesus’ sacrifice in dying for us. It is the greatest gift of love ever given. 

The World’s Way vs. God’s Will

The secular world preaches a message of self-fulfillment at any cost. “Get all you can get.  Be all you can be.  Do all you can do.”  And anyone who gets in your way or disagrees with you…just cut them off!  Break fellowship with them.  Many relationships have been broken over the smallest of matters, but whatever the circumstances, it usually boils down to one or both persons not getting what they want. God wants us to depend on Him and always, in all things, to do His will. That includes reconciling broken relationships.

Is there someone with whom you’ve broken fellowship?  As you answer that question, are you already counting the reasons why you are justified in doing so?  Perhaps it’s time to stop keeping a record of wrongs and start loving the person more (1 Cor 13).  Jesus loved us enough to suffer and die for us so we can have a relationship with Him and the Father.  Can you find enough love to “die” to yourself to restore your relationship?  Consider again what Jesus did for you.

Is There Anything Jesus Cannot Ask of You?

Jesus gave His all for us, and we owe our all to Him.  He took our brokenness and made us whole.  Whatever Jesus asks of us, we should be willing to do. And when it comes to relationships, Jesus commanded that we love one another.

Love God and love our neighbors are the commandments that are to govern our lives. We find it very easy to love Jesus because He gave His life for us and gave us eternal life. What a blessing. What great gifts.  But how about our neighbors, our families, our friends?  Do we love them only when they meet our needs?  Do we love them only if they do what we want?  That is not love. And it is not what Jesus calls us to.  He calls us to agape love, a sacrificial love.  We are to love the unlovable because He loves us even when we are unlovable. He calls us to love, even when we don’t want to, and to love others for His sake.

Three Questions

1. Is there someone in your life with whom you need to reconcile?
2. Are you willing to reconcile broken or suffering relationships in your life as Jesus did for you?  
3. Are you able to give the kind of sacrificial love that Jesus has given to you to others?  

If you answered “yes” to question number one, then as a Christian, you should also answer yes to the other two questions.  Jesus doesn’t ask us to consider reconciling and loving. He tells us to do it. And when we remember that we already have His full and unconditional love, we are free to love others sacrificially.

Reconciliation Ministry

The ministry of reconciliation that Jesus was given is also given to us by God:

2 Corinthians 5:18  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation.

If there is someone with whom you need to reconcile (“yes” to Q1) then Jesus will give you the desire to do so (Q2). And He will also give you the love that you need to make it possible (Q3). 

You might be thinking your broken relationship is too broken to repair, too difficult to reconcile.  Perhaps it is for you.  But with Jesus’ help you are able to do so.  Jesus will always strengthen you to do His will. 

Jesus said to Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9a).   And Paul understood that!  His response to Jesus’ words is a truth we must always remember:   “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor 12:9b).  Remember, you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13).

Bless someone in your life today. Repair a broken relationship. Reconcile and make things new, for the day may come when it will be too late. 

Ephesians 4:32  And be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

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How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?

I can think of younger days when living for my life
Was everything a man could want to do
I could never see tomorrow, but I was never told about the sorrow

And how can you mend a broken heart?
How can you stop the rain from falling down?
How can you stop the sun from shining?
What makes the world go round?

How can you mend this broken man?
How can a loser ever win?
Please help me mend my broken heart and let me live again.

I can still feel the breeze that rustles through the trees
And misty memories of days gone by
We could never see tomorrow, no one said a word about the sorrow

And how can you mend a broken heart?
How can you stop the rain from falling down?
How can you stop the sun from shining?
What makes the world go round?

How can you mend this broken man?
How can a loser ever win?
Please help me mend my broken heart and let me live again.