The speaker in chapel that morning instructed us to close our eyes, and ask God to speak to us about our situation. As I sat quietly, a picture came to mind. I stood in the midst of a graveyard, yet instead of people, the names on the graves were things I had suffered, lost, and been robbed of.

I stood, looking upon the names of those graves, mourning, when Jesus took my hand, and said, “It’s time to let go. It’s time to move forward.”

It really was time.

God had so much more for me, and until I came away from that graveyard, and lifted my eyes to Jesus, I could not move forward into what God had for me.

In the old Testament, it speaks of a time to mourn. It even talks of people dressing in sackcloth and ashes, tearing their clothes, weeping and wailing at the grief they were experiencing. Sadly, today, culture frowns upon public displays of grief and sorrow.

Jesus wasn’t telling me to get over it and move on, as our culture sometimes does. He walked me through a process of crying and feeling my feelings. I took the time I needed to do those things.

But when we have allowed ourselves to feel, when we have mourned what happened, there is a time to leave the grave behind. There is a time when you need to walk away, and know that even though it happened, with Jesus’ help, you can move past the pain and into the things God has for you.

Have you allowed yourself to feel? To cry? To weep and to mourn the things that happened to you?

If you have not, allow yourself to cry.

Allow yourself to be angry.

Punch pillows, yell at them.

Journal your feelings.

Let yourself cry and weep and wail in your time of prayer.

This is needed for you to move on.

But don’t stay there.

Invite God to come in and heal. Invite Him to lead you into what you need to move past the pain. Invite Him into your very brokenness.

He is not afraid of it.

And then, Ask Him to help you get up. Ask Him to help you walk away from the pain, from the loss and heartache; not denying it, but moving forward, knowing it happened, but that God will help you take each step forward.

He will hold your hand through all of it.

A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; ~Ecclesiates 3:4 NKJV

In His love,

Carolyn

© Carolyn Rice 2017

Lord, I’m Broken is available on Amazon, Barnesandnoble, christianbook.com and where books are sold online.