Relationships That Flourish: A 30-Day Devotional on Finding Security in Christ and Growing Healthy Connectionsنموونە

This passage tells the story of Jesus and his miraculous healing of his friend, Lazarus. Jesus had deep relationships with Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus. If you read further, you will learn that Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. However, His knowledge of the healing that was to come didn't prevent Him from embracing Mary and Martha in their sorrow and experiencing grief alongside them.

Jesus' character and posture towards us are no different today. He already knows how our relationships will unfold. He already knows when we will experience heartbreak or lose someone we love. He already knows that He will heal and restore the broken pieces of our stories and relationships, whether in this life or when we see him face to face. Yet this doesn't stop Him from meeting us in our sadness and sitting with us there.

We have all experienced hurt, and often enter relationships carrying the weight of that pain. We protect, guard, or fear because that is what we have learned to do to cope with hard things. Jesus made it possible for us to experience healing from our pain and heartbreak from living in a broken world with broken people. Healing doesn't happen overnight; it's often tiring and takes time. We can begin to process this with God. He sees and loves us. He can bring hope to our most intimate pain.

Earlier in this study, we shared a resource from Susannah Baker that guided us to pray through our pain as a part of healing. Today, we want to share a similar guide from Susannah called Restore Through Lament. Lament is an honest prayer that expresses sorrow, questions, and pain to God while trusting Him with your heart. This thoughtful resource leads us through a journey of sitting with God in our grief and addressing it honestly. Though difficult, allowing ourselves to mourn the painful parts of our story and relationships is a process that ultimately brings hope. Our God is a healer. He sees us, and we can come to Him with our raw emotions and questions. As He did with Mary and Martha, Jesus laments with us today.

*Note: When we talk about painful memories, we understand that for some readers, this could be memories of abuse. We acknowledge the complexity of processing this pain and want to encourage you to do this alongside a mental health professional and faith community when you are ready. You are not alone, and if you have experienced abuse of any kind, it is not your fault. We see you and are hopeful for you.

Reflect: Schedule a time to write your lament using the Restore Through Lament guide.

Pray: God, You see me and love me. You are with me in my pain and have not left me to process this alone. Help me to believe You are near and to experience Your compassion.