One Little Pig

My words on here have been few.  Blog posts have been sporadic to say the least.  Writing is in my soul, so eventually words will make it to a post.  There are some things that are incredibly heavy on me today and I know that I am meant to write.  So, write I will.

I can't get the word "broken" out of my mind this morning.  It is a big word, especially if it is used to describe a heart or a relationship.   When someone has a significant place in your heart and your life  and is suddenly taken away it leaves an emptiness.  We are aching and broken.  It is by far one of the most painful things that we can feel in this life.  When someone  who has a significant place in your heart and your life chooses to walk away it leaves a heart feeling empty, aching, broken....and confused.  It is a horrible and almost indescribable pain.  Wisdom tells us that we need to work through the pain and let time heal the wounds that have been inflicted, but we don't want to put ourselves through that.  That's not fun in anyone's world.  Isn't it crazy what we will do to keep ourselves from feeling what we need to feel in order to make ourselves better and stronger?  

I will be honest.  I am in a broken place.  I feel broken.  My heart is broken.  I know in my heart that I need to feel all that comes at me and work through it, sift through it and slowly begin to rebuild little by little.  I don't think I'm the first person to feel broken that is not looking forward to rebuilding.  I'm hurting, and rebuilding takes effort and energy and so much time.  There has to be a better way, doesn't there?  My heart knows that there is not a better way.  There ARE other ways to deal with a broken heart, but the way to truly heal a broken heart is to slowly rebuild a better and stronger heart.

Let's pretend that there was only one little pig instead of three.  The little pig builds a beautiful house of straw.  It's a pretty and functional house, but this pretty little house will not withstand the wind, so it is faulty and not practical.  It does not stand the test of time and it falls.  It is broken.  What does the little pig do?  Does he go to Home Depot for another load of straw?  Of course not.  He Googles a better material of course!!!  Wood!!!  Wood it is!!!  Little pig builds a new house made of wood and it is good.  It is a pretty and functional house that is much stronger than straw. Little pig is pleased and is enjoying a nice glass of wine in his new wood home.....until the winds come again.  The house made of wood does not stand the test of time and it also falls.  It is broken.  What does the little pig do?  Does he go back to Home Depot for another load of wood?  Of course not.  He researches further and finds a stronger material.  Bricks.  The problem with bricks is that it will take a long time to build a house made of bricks.  There are no shortcuts.  The house will be strong, but it will take time and effort and patience.  The little pig begins building.  One strong, solid brick at a time.  Carefully he places one brick on top of the other.  One layer, then the next, then the next.  It is not fast, but it is strong.  When the winds come it will stand.  Little pig will be safe and protected and secure in his home because he took the time build something better and stronger.  Little pig never would have known about bricks if he didn't know a little something about being broken.  

Our hearts are the same.  A broken heart needs to be strategically rebuilt with the same care and with the right materials that are better and stronger.  Our hearts need to be rebuilt one little piece at a time, one layer at a time.  The process can't be rushed, or it will be compromised.  Just like the little pig, I need to seek out stronger materials to rebuild my heart.  I am feeling broken, but I don't want to waste my brokenness by rebuilding myself the same way I was before.  I want my heart to be better.  I want my heart to be stronger.  The only way I am going to be successful in building something better is to learn what my brokenness has for me.  I have no choice but to embrace my brokenness.  I have to take it in, feel it, know it, learn from it, and then let it go.  There is no point in holding on to something that is broken even it it was once something very precious.  Letting go doesn't mean that I will forget what my heart was, or what was in my heart. It does mean that I have to lay it down and build something better and stronger.  

So much to learn from one little pig.