Can you die of a broken heart?

Have you ever heard that someone died of a broken heart? You may be thinking that is impossible... well, today I would like to challenge your understanding of the heart.

I do believe death can come when someone is burdened by the pains of their heart.

A cheerful heart puts a smile on your face but a broken heart leads to depression...

Proverb 15:13

I consistently find that the things we've heard are more times than not found in the most ancient book (The Bible). Here in the 13th verse of Proverbs 15 we see that a broken heart can lead to depression, and I think we would all agree that depression can lead to death. Don't just read this from the surface; instead, dive deeper into the words. Maybe the depression isn't speaking of only a physical death but an emotional or spiritual death because I am sure we can all agree that mental, emotional or spiritual pain affects your ability to fully enjoy life.

So, what can break a heart? Disloyalty? Offense? Trauma? Pain? Regret? Anger? Unforgiveness? I am sure there are more feelings you would be willing to add to the list. These life experiences and/or feelings can cause emotional weight that can lead to a broken heart & depression.

Now that we have reflected on what can happen to the heart lets dive into how to:

1. Protect it

2. Respond to it

PROTECT IT:

So above all, guard the affections of your heart, for they affect all that you are. Pay attention to the welfare of your innermost being, for from there flows the wellspring of life.

Proverb 4:23

Our first defense as it pertains to a broken heart is protection. Protection does not mean we never let anyone in. Protection makes us selective with who we allow to have access to our heart. Protection reminds us to operate on the truth of a situation instead of just our feelings. Protection empowers us to pay attention to the signs and take ourselves seriously. Protecting your heart gives you the ability to love and enjoy life fully because you're not giving what is special to you away without fully understanding where it is going. When we take time with ourselves, we can be more careful in who or what we give our hearts to because we recognize we must be the ones to protect it. "How can your words be good if you are rotten within? For what has been stored up in your hearts will be heard in the overflow of your words!" (Matthew 12:34 TPT). We can't expect to have anything loving, kind or positive flowing out of us if we have resentment, jealousy or greed taking over our hearts. What is in your heart?

Let's say you haven't been protecting your heart and some things have come into your heart that you don't want to be there... what do we do now?

RESPOND TO IT:

Responding to is entails addressing the experiences, emotions and/or feelings that are trapped within your heart.

This is where coaching, therapy and/or reflection are all essential. We are not meant to travel these dark roads alone; instead, we must humble ourselves and reach out for help dealing with those things that have crept down into our hearts and taken up residence.

For me, there was grief, disappointment and lack of fulfillment that slowly but surely crept into my heart. I recognized that I did not want to continue on with these emotions that did not define who I am so I reached out for help.

Luckily, that same book I mentioned above declares:

I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.

Ezekiel 36:26

I was so grateful to know that I don't have to do this alone. I can depend on God's Spirit along with Wise Counsel and partner with the process of changing my heart. I didn't know that I had a heart of stone let alone that it needed to be removed. What I can guarantee is that we all have things that have made their way into our hearts that make life a little unbearable at times. What I can recommend is that you don't try to address those things alone. Instead, allow others to walk with you on the process of peeling back those layers.

What has taken over your heart?

Heal the Heart & Live Abundantly...

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