Your unspoken broken.
We all have it. It’s that thing in us that we don’t talk about because we don’t know how to put words to it. It’s that feeling that rises in us and makes our throats tighten and our voices tremble.
It’s the disquiet in our soul, the ache we always feel but never get used to; the silent companion who takes up too much room in our hearts. It’s our unspoken broken.
The mom who tries to manage her mentally ill adult son — she feels the sting, the ache. When you see her on Sunday and she smiles and hugs you and asks how your week went, can you hear what is not said? Can you hear her unspoken broken? It is there, screaming to be heard and held and helped.
The child who acts up and acts out and acts like she doesn’t care — she swallows her fear of rejection. Between her angry words and eye rolls, can you hear the unspoken broken? It is there, underneath the angst and anger — longing to be heard and helped and held.
The man who fights demons of inadequacy — he hides the emptiness in the pages of his crammed calendar. He feels the ache, he fears the ache. When he gets loud and controlling, can you hear the unspoken broken? It is there longing to be heard and helped and held.
We all have an unspoken broken in our lives. Some of us create a shiny veneer to cover it and others of us turn the volume of our lives up way high to drown out the silence.
Even if the world misses it, God hears our unspoken broken.
He sees what you try to hide and He hears what you try to drown out.
God wants to hold you and all that brokenness in His loving, purposeful hands. He wants to take what you don’t want to talk about and talk to you about how He can heal and help.
If you have unspoken broken in your life, give it a voice. Cry out to God. Don’t hide it behind anger or cheer, denial or despair.
Tell God. Tell somebody.
When we get honest, we get free!
The psalmists didn’t keep their brokenness to themselves. They cried out to God. If you need to give a voice to that thing that is so heavy inside you, you can borrow these three prayers to give your unspoken broken a voice:
Prayer one:
As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God! (Psalm 40:17)
Prayer two:
Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy! Attend to me, and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and I moan, because of the noise of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked.
For they drop trouble upon me, and in anger they bear a grudge against me.
My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me. Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me. And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. (Psalm 55:1-6)
When you feel you can’t hold it all together, let it go. God will hold you.
Prayer three:
Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me! You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.” Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation! For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in. Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies. (Psalm 27:7-11)
Once you have cried out to God, you will feel heard, you will receive help and you will be held. So, even if you feel you can’t hold it all together, let it go, God will hold you.
This post originally appeared on JenniferRothschild.com and was republished with permission.
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