My new neighbors gave me a nice gift the other day. It was a set of beautiful, white, patio stones. They had been using them to create a walk-way to their back door but decided a natural lawn would be easier to maintain. I was happy to take them and thought of using them to create a walk-way to my own front porch. My hill was a bit too steep and the plaster stones were a bit too slick for it to work, though. I soon found a home for them, however, around the flower box in my front yard. They were the perfect replacement for the rotting timber beams and their heart shapes made the flower box stand out even better. I was able to use every single one of them and even pieced a few broken ones together instead of throwing them out. As I look out on them now, I think that the broken ones are the most beautiful of them all. They may have a few cracks in them, but they reflect the sunlight just as brightly as the others.

I love those cracked hearts because I know that in this life no heart ends up undamaged. This world is full of hearts that have been bruised, battered, beaten, and broken. There isn’t a single heart in this world that hasn’t been cracked at least once from pain, suffering, and loss. Still, with all of their cracks our hearts continue to love. They continue to share love and to reflect the sunlight of God’s love just as brightly as ever. They don’t let a few missing pieces or tiny cracks stand in their way. They keep beating and they keep loving for all that they are worth.

If your own heart has been bruised and broken then don’t despair. God loves you and is always ready to heal it with His love. All you have to do is let Him. You may have a few cracks left over, but they will just let His light shine more deeply inside you. They will help you as well to touch other broken hearts with your own love. We all may have a few cracks in our hearts, after all, but they only help the love to flow in and out.