The human spirit can endure in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear? Prov. 18:14
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Ps. 34:18
Do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart. Col. 3:21
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isa. 53:5
Jesus, I begin this day filled with both great sadness and deep gratitude. The sadness is born from witnessing a parent commit “spirit homicide” on a child who couldn’t have been older than two or three. Walking though the store parking lot, I watched as an exasperated mom targeted her son’s spirit for crushing. I literally saw that little fellow shrivel under the weight of her impatience, harshness, and anger.
The image lingers—maybe because I know what it is to both receive and give harm to another’s heart. In all fairness, I have no clue what was going on in that mom’s heart. I have no idea what preceded her cruel eruption, but nothing could justify or excuse her behavior—nothing. And in all honesty, I wanted to treat her just as harshly as she was treating her son. For a moment I was more angry at her than concerned for her son. I need your mercy as much as she does.
O, for grace to be more aware of what’s going on inside our hearts. Stress and tension, unnamed issues and not-dealt-with stuff build up like steam in a tea kettle. More often than not, someone else—someone we care about will be in harm’s way when we blow off that steam. Quite often, it’s defenseless children who suffer the worse consequences of the turmoil inside of us. This is never okay, never necessary, never the only option open to us.
That’s precisely where you come in, Jesus—where you come in real close, for you are near to the brokenhearted and you save those who are crushed in spirit. And no one else has the mercy and power to deal with spirit-crushers, as well. We praise you, Lord, and we cry out for both the victims and agents heart harm.
This is why I also feel deep gratitude today, for you took the ultimate crushing of the cross, that we might know your tear-wiping hand and a peace you alone can bring. Jesus, continue to heal those places, those wounds our hearts where we lost face and heart—where we simply went limp with shame.
And keep us sensitive to the ways we, wittingly and unwittingly, are capable of crushing the spirits of others—children, spouses, friends. Melt the madness of our meanness with the grandeur of your grace. There’s always a better way, a gospel-way of relating to one another. So very Amen we pray, in your near and healing name.