The God Who Mends Our Broken Heart
My heart aches and feels shattered into a thousand pieces.
Yesterday, our sweet 15 year old pug, Big-T, passed away. We’ve cried and cried. While we feel blessed to have had him this long, it’s never, ever easy to lose a pet.
No cute smushed face welcoming me home at the screen door. No Big-T to snuggle and take care of.
He was a mama’s boy through and through.
And no furry companion to go on our YouTube Adventures with us. He even had his own doggy stroller for the last year because walking a long way became hard for him.
While our channel’s named, Friday’s Forever, any subscriber and viewer will tell you that Big-T’s the star.
Everybody loved him and wanted to meet him.
Oh, I suppose they like us too, but comments include:
“Big-T is the favorite at our house. Mike and Karen are ok, someone has to hold the camera. LOL.”
“If I could, I would make the long drive just to meet Big-T.”
“I love me some Big-T.”
“Big-T is so precious, love him!”
“Hug Big-T for me.”
On and on they go, there are hundreds, maybe thousands more comments like these. So you see, Big-T was loved by more than just our family and friends.
No Stranger to a Broken Heart
We will miss him beyond what words can express. Tears are flowing as I type these words.
Still, I’m no stranger to a broken heart and I’m guessing neither are you. Perhaps your broken heart came from losing a pet, a loved one, a relationship, or a marriage.
Even though I’m not a stranger to heart break, I’m also not a stranger to the One who mends broken hearts. The One who has healed and mended my broken heart many times over.
Sure, life itself may never be the same again, but God never changes and He wants to mend our broken hearts as only He can.
4 ways God helps our heart M.E.N.D.
M – Mourn authentically and fully for our heart.
Recently, a Christian radio host gave a challenge, “Stop sanitizing grief.” Sometimes we sanitize grief and mourning and broken hearts by trying to clean it up. But this is not how God meant for us to react to a great loss.
When my father died, I went to a good Christian counselor. She has seen me through other seasons of brokenness. Remember, it doesn’t make us weak to need help, it makes us human. We were never created to bear burdens alone.
Do you have a broken heart from some kind of loss? Take time to mourn. Seek counsel, spend time with friends, ask for prayer, and cry out to the Lord—maybe like never before. Click To Tweet
Take time to mourn. Seek counsel, spend time with friends, ask for prayer, and cry out to the Lord—maybe like never before. In the Bible, the Psalmists and others cried out, mourned, and lamented to God.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4 (ESV)
E – Embrace inner healing from God.
God desires to bind up our wounds and this includes a broken heart. “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” Psalm 147:3 (ESV)
The Lord wants us to run to His strong, capable, and comforting arms for peace and inner healing.
The Lord wants us to run to His strong, capable, and comforting arms for peace and inner healing. Click To Tweet“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” Isaiah 53:4-5 (ESV)
N – Nurture our body and heart.
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 76:23 (NIV)
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 76:23 (NIV) Click To TweetAlthough we don’t have control over circumstances, we do control how we take care of ourselves. We need physical food for our body and spiritual nourishment from the Holy Spirit and God’s Word for our heart.
And we must fill our heart with truth from God for true healing.
D – Discover ways to help others.
This often sounds surprising and seems to jeopardize our own healing. Yet, one of the most wonderful ways to progress in letting God mend our hearts is by giving back.
Especially if it’s helping someone walk through the same heartbreaking season we have walked through—those who come after us.
But not until we are ready and have mourned, embraced healing, and nurtured ourselves.
So I’m asking God to mend my broken heart as I remember our precious Big-T who added so much joy to our lives.
Photos from our YouTube channel, Friday’s Forever.
Last week’s article, What if We Lived the Christian Life in 3D?
Sometimes I participate in these link-ups:
Inspire Me Monday/Tell His Story/Let’s Have Coffee/Embracing the Unexpected (Grace & Truth).
© 2023 by Karen Friday, All rights reserved
I’m so sorry for the loss of your precious pug! It’s so difficult to lose our dearly loved pets.
It is so difficult, Melinda. They become family and are greatly missed. Thank you.
Karen, I’m so, so sorry to hear this news about your beloved Big T; I loved him, too, as all of us who watch your channel do. His absence will certainly be felt, and he will be remembered lovingly for years to come. May God heal your broken hearts as you mourn his loss.
Blessings always, and God’s peace surround you both in love.
Martha, such sweet and kind sentiments from you. We have felt the many prayers and know we are not alone in grieving as Big T was so loved. We are thankful we have all these precious memories recorded from the last few years with him on our channel. Thank you and blessings!
My condolences to you and your family in the loss of Big-T. He was such a cutie❤!
I lost my 13 year old Shitz-Tzu, Echo just a few months ago and if it had not been for my faith…I don’t know what would have happened to me. Being able to just cry my eyes out to God has been very therapeutic and of course, the love and support of my family and friends have also been a big help.
May God be with you all in your time of mourning 🙏🙏🙏❤❤.
Hi Amy, thank you and I’m sorry for your loss of Echo too. We lost our sweet dachshund, Sadie, 2 years ago. It’s never easy because we get so attached to them and love them so much. God bless.
I’m sorry for your loss. It’s never easy to lose a member of your family.
Thanks for sharing this warm message.
And a member of the family he was, Sandra. We had him since he was 7 weeks old. He grew up under our care and was a senior dog who begin having many health issues. Thank you for your kind words.
So sorry for your loss of your precious pug. Our animals are family. Thank you for sharing about this sweet dog. Grief has no time schedule. I am thankful we can go to God when we are sad.
Thank you so much, Melissa. He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. (Isaiah 53:4)
Ms. Karen, my heart aches for you, Pastor Mike, and your family today ma’am. These are difficult, heartbreaking times for sure ma’am. Yet, as you point out, we will all face seasons of hurt and grieving in this life. Still, we know God can and will heal our broken hearts. God’s blessings and know I’ll be praying my friends.
J.D., we are so grateful for your prayers and your words here. It’s only been a week and still seems so quiet and lonely around our home without our beloved little guy. We continue to take our hearts before the Lord for mending. God bless.
I’m so very for your loss Karen. Our pets are so much part of our family and it difficult. But our God will comfort you and be with you. Praying for you Karen.
Yvonne, thank you for your prayers. Big T was definitely a vital and loving part of our family.
I’m so sorry for your loss! Mourning can be beautiful, but also so very difficult. May you feel God with you in the days ahead.
Grateful for your kind words, Jessica. The Lord continues to strengthen our hearts as we trust Him to heal the loss. Blessings!
It’s so hard to endure such loss. May the Lord bring comfort and open hearts to love again. Thanks, Karen. God bless!
It’s so hard, praying the Lord reminds us of the blessing of our sweet pug for 15 years. God bless!
Jesus cares. He surely knows what loss and grief and lament look like. His Father created all those beautiful 4-footed beasts.
Thinking of you as you mourn, Karen …
Hi Linda, good word that spoke to my heart. Big T was one of the wonderful creations of the Lord. I find so much comfort in that.
Oh, Karen…
I’m so sorry for your very real loss. It does take time to heal.
Kind words, Michele. Praying the Lord binds up these heart wounds and brings healing in His time.
I am so sorry for your loss. I always enjoyed seeing his face in your posts. No matter the source of our grief, the Lord does step in to mend our hearts, and for that I am most grateful. May the Lord bring His comfort to you and your family.
Thanks so much, Joanne. I’m grateful when our heart is mourning, the Lord comforts us and gives us peace. God bless.
Karen, I am so sorry for your loss of Big-T. I can only imagine the hole in your heart right now. I’m saying prayers for you and your husband.
Your acronym MEND is perfect. I am thankful we don’t have to try to mend from grief on our own. There’s peace and comfort in knowing our Father wants to mend our brokenness from losses in our lives. Thank you for your beautiful words.
Appreciate your sweet comment, Jeanne. It has been super hard and left an emptiness. I’m glad the Lord not only mends our broken hearts but also fills us with His fullness in every empty place like nothing else can. The Lord wants us to run to His strong, capable, and comforting arms for peace and inner healing.
I too am so sorry for your loss of precious Big-T. There’s a passage in Romans 8 that gives me encouragement we just might see our beloved pets again. Verses 19-21: “For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.” Our pets are certainly part of creation. Perhaps the freedom and glory we look forward to in heaven will be for them too!
That is very comforting, Nancy. I agree. And if Jesus will be riding a white horse as described in Revelation and the lion will lay down with the lamb, there must be animals in heaven. Thanks for sharing this and God bless.
[…] Last week’s post, The God Who Mends Our Broken Heart. […]
I am sorry to hear about Big-T I saw that when it happened 5 days later. I was always watching how much you loved and strolled him around and that was special to watch. I am a dog owner too and so much that I understand the grief because I love my precious dog she is almost 10 and now has arthritis.
God bless you and you husband and your ministry! I look forward to seeing you again and giving great guidance to me.
Love In Christ
Andrea Layman
Hi Andrea, thank you, it was a great loss. It’s been very hard and it left an emptiness in our lives. But the Lord is with us and strengthening us. We appreciate you watching our content. God bless you!
I’m so sorry for your loss of Big T. I, too, am one of the ones that enjoyed seeing him on your you-tube channel videos. On one of your latest videos when you went camping for the first time after losing him, you mentioned about your blog so I came to check it out and I am so glad that I did! My father died almost 3 years ago at the end of this month. I grew up in a Christian home and felt that my faith is strong enough to see me through this loss and that since I was aware of my feelings, I didn’t need to seek counseling. But I’ve been struggling with losing him and struggling with my Mom’s cancer diagnosis and illness ever since. Seeing that you saw a Christian counselor after your father’s death makes me realize that it’s okay to feel like I do and that seeing a counselor may be beneficial for me. Thank you for sharing that. Also thank you and your husband for not being afraid to share your faith and belief in God on your YouTube channel and social media platforms. Hugs to you both as you navigate the next few weeks and months without Big T.
Hi Andrea, thank you for visiting and commenting. And for your kind words about losing Big T. It’s been very hard and I’m sure we will miss him always. I’m sorry about the loss of your dad and your mom’s health issues. Grief is a tough part of this fallen world. But the Lord does want us to turn to Him and surround ourselves with godly people to come along side us. Christian counseling is one of the best decisions I made to help me navigate loss and family issues. I will be praying for your mom and for you. God bless. Love and hugs to you.
[…] Last November, we lost our sweet pug, Big T, after 15 years. We were heartbroken and the day he passed, I wrote a blog article about how God mends our broken heart. […]