“Break my heart for what breaks yours.”
It’s a prayer I have heard dozens of times through sermons, song lyrics, and even friends of mine who have prayed this for themselves. I, however, have never prayed for this. I’d thought about it this past month while in the Dominican Republic, but I didn’t want the brokenness that would inevitably come with this request.
Yesterday, for the first time, I asked Jesus to break my heart for what breaks His.
Today for ministry, we had the privilege of walking around a local village called Williamson and visiting with the families we encountered. We were invited into their homes and talked about work, school, and Jesus.
At the last house we visited, we were talking to a young woman who told us her baby sister, a one year old, was at the hospital with her mother due to a serious health issue. After talking for a while, the mother and child returned to their small home and greeted my team and I. The little girl instantly reminded me of my sweet three year old sister Lana – both so thin and small with big, beautiful eyes. The mother wanted to show us the sweet little girl’s stomach where she had surgery, so she took off the bandage and revealed to us something that broke my heart.
This precious one year old had multiple large scars running through her belly button and along her side. The incisions the doctors had made to help her were not healed, and she was clearly in pain.
Her big brown eyes were full of hurt. The small cries of pain she let out broke my heart completely. Recognizing that a child knows such great pain at such a young age is heartbreaking. On top of this, she reminded me so much of my younger sister that I couldn’t help but think of just how much she is loved by Christ.
I adore my younger sister. How much more is Jesus absolutely in love with this sweet girl? How much grief does He have over the pain she feels? He loves her so much, and He gave me the gift of experiencing the pain He feels when seeing this sweet one in pain. It isn’t comfortable, but it is a gift He let me experience.
Thank you for keeping me in your prayers. I am so gifted with where I am at, the things I am learning and experiencing, and the relationships I am strengthening. I’ve only been here for 3 days*, but I’m falling deeply in love with the sweet Haitian people, the sunrises and sunsets, and the mountains surrounding us. I love the food we are served, the wonderful cold showers we get, the fans in our dorms, and even the bug nets hanging on our beds. I feel especially blessed, and I can’t wait to share more soon.
*I wrote this last week but could not post until now.
