The Bruised Heart
BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. EPHESIANS 4:26-27
If you sleep on a bruised heart you wake up with a cold heart.
A husband and wife have a war. Hearts are bruised. The slightest words cause a wince. The household becomes a MASH unit.
Now comes dusk, an urgent hour. Matters must be settled before the sun disappears, and opponents skulk off to nurse wounds and strategize for another day’s battle.
The bruised heart gives the devil a place to operate in a person’s life. Bitterness becomes anger that becomes explosive behaviors. More bruising, more sensitivity. The bar of reconciliation is raised higher.
The prime responsibility for healing the bruised heart is the husband’s. It is he who must reach across the bed and caress the hand of his wife. Her role is to respond. Being a spiritual leader means initiating confession, taking the first steps toward reconciliation.
When that happens, the bruised heart becomes a blessed heart. Its warmth is recovered.
TODAY’S HEART FOCUS
When there’s war in your house or in your circle of friends, and hearts are bruised, pray that God will always use you as an instrument of healing.