Let's Talk About Heartache: Part 1

Are you feeling rejected, broken or betrayed? As much as we try to deny it, these feelings are real and they’re all around us. Most of the time we want to run away from it, but these feelings, like rain, will definitely come. All of us will experience brokenness at least once in our lives.

We’ve probably asked ourselves countless of questions about brokenness – will it ever end? Will something good even come out of this ship wreck?

I’ve asked these questions myself.

2 years ago, I experienced brokenness through rejections (Yes, rejection with an S!). It may have happened a lot of times but today I want you to know that there’s beauty from the ashes. Yes, you can cherish this season and find joy, peace and security in the midst of heartache.

2011 was the year I graduated from college. This was also the same year that I got a job. Before this year, I had a desire to find love by pursuing women and entering into relationships. I did that from highschool to college. In that time frame I had 2 girlfriends all in all. Obviously, both didn’t end well. My last year in college was the time that I didn’t get into a relationship, I said to myself, “tapusin ko muna pag-aaral ko tsaka maghanap ng trabaho, tapos game na ulit!”

True enough when I graduated and found a job I didn’t wait long before I started pursuing women and trying to commit to relationships again. From late 2011 to early 2013, I pursued 3 women and yes, all I got was painful rejection.

I still remember the thoughts in my head, the questions “panget ba ako?” “what is wrong with me?” “bakit ako nabubusted parati?” kept on playing in my mind.

But one day, God spoke clearly to me and for the first time – I finally understood why.

I got rejected because He loves me.

Now that statement might not make sense to most people. Why would God break my heart if He loves me?

But the answer was simple.

He wants to make me to be the person that He wants me to be, and since He loves me, He will do whatever it takes.

At most times it might seem that bad things happen to people who seem undeserving of them. But God allows things to happen for His reasons, whether or not we understand them. Above all, however, we must remember that God is good, just, loving, and merciful. 

Yes things happen to us that we simply cannot understand. However, instead of doubting God's goodness, our reaction should be to trust Him. ”Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

That is the beauty of brokenness, it makes you trust in Him more and it helps you look at any season (good or bad) with joy, peace and security that God loves you and He is in control.

I want all of you to remember this, that God loves you - even when you are broken and weak. During my “pursuit of women” season, I tried to look for love, only to find out that it was looking at all the wrong places. Because when you look for love, you look to Jesus - the ultimate, perfect, crazy lover of all time will untiringly and unconditionally love you even if you feel like you don’t want to love Him back.

That kind of love is true love; you’ll never find any love like that from anybody.

I am now enjoying my single life and cherishing this moment with God, even to the point where I can say myself “if God won’t give me a partner in life in the future, it’s okay because I know that I have Jesus. And He is more than enough!” BUT of course if He wants me to have a partner in the future for His glory, it’s okay, in fact, it’s AWESOME! 

I praise God for putting me in that season of brokenness, because of that I really understood that Jesus is more than enough for me. Desiring a partner is okay, but my ultimate desire should be JESUS.

If you are in a season of brokenness, I want you to know that God is close to the brokenhearted. God never fails, and He will not fail the heartbroken person who cries out to Him today. He may not always answer exactly in the way we would like, but He answers according to His perfect will and timing and, while we are waiting for the answer, His grace is sufficient. Stop looking for other kinds of love, look to Jesus and know that He’s more than enough.

Luis Cortez serves as song leader at CCF and Friday Night Light. 

He writes music about God's love and posts it on Soundcloud. 

His favorite verse is, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

You can contact him at ramonluisitocortez@gmail.com

----

This Friday: