The Value of a Broken Heart

Sometimes, I do really dumb things... like, fall for a guy that I have absolutely no business falling for. To date, that has never worked out well for me. You'd think I would learn from experience, but, No. Somehow, just as soon as enough time passes between MLM's (My Last Mistake) my silly little heart is right back out there, smiling and vulnerable, just asking to get stomped on. Tsk, tsk. My brain is smart, but my heart... DUMB.

My latest romantic adventure -- wait for it-- ended badly. And I cried, felt embarassed, and was hurt and humiliated for a couple of days. Sucks, right? Of course it does. But here's where the value comes in: After the initial feelings of uber-lameness and heartbreak started to wane, I let my [smart] brain go to work and process the pain, to somehow try to find the redemptive value. And that's when it hit me: Heartbreak is the mother of Compassion. Or at least, it can be, if we choose it.

During the very darkest moments of feeling like a complete ass, a dear friend called and spoke truth to me. She reminded me of my own worth and value, didn't judge or ridicule me, and just showed incredible kindness and compassion to me. She even made me laugh... a lot, actually. She didn't have to; she chose to.

Having your heart broken is never "fun" but it is not without great value. Out of broken hearts are born compelling works of art, socio-political movements, awareness campaigns, and paradigm shifts. People far greater than me have taken their personal pain and allowed God to use it for incredible good in the world through ministries of compassion. Even Jesus himself had compassion on the people he encountered, because seeing them in their sin and misery broke his own heart.

I'm no Jesus, and I don't think that my last experience is on a comparable scale to something that would spark a global movement, but I do believe that by remembering the physical and emotional pain associated with heartbreak of any kind should move a person from selfishness to compassion. The internal becomes external. The healing that is taking place within me can be used to help heal someone else from their pain. Kinda deep and mysterious and cool to think about, and I'm excited to see what good comes out of it. Because trust me, boys aside, there are many things in this world that break my heart. This painful reminder is just a catalyst to push me out into it, armed with love for the people on my path.