I would be lying if I did not say social media does me more harm than good some days. I love seeing what my friends and family are up to and I do think it is a great way to keep in touch, but oftentimes we only see the best of someone's life. It can be easy to compare yourself and what they have. Suddenly what you have isn’t enough anymore. Other times social media can be toxic because you see people actively choosing to walk away from God, fighting against biblical values, or making decisions you fear will lead them away from who God intended them to be.
After seeing this so much, my heart is heavy, maybe yours is too. How would you know if your heart is heavy?
Are you quick to anger? Quick to judgment or assumption? Do you talk more about people than to people?
If that is you then I would encourage you to not run to worldly solutions like a vacation, self-care, or retail therapy. Those acts aren’t bad, they’re just aren’t enough. The only thing that can lighten a heavy heart is God.
Psalm 34:17-18 says, “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
David knew a thing or two about a heavy heart. He ran from King Saul who had become crazy with jealousy, he suffered great loss due to his own sin, and his own son betrayed him. When David was in a cave hiding he wrote the Psalm written above. He wrote it to remind the fellow men with him that God had delivered him from his past burdens and he had faith he will do so again. He also needed them to know that although they may be broken they are a part of God’s favor, not his anger. It can be easy to feel that when things are going wrong in your life that God may be angry with you or smiting you. He is not causing any of the bad things happening to you, sometimes our own poor decisions lead to those bad things. Other times we have no control over what occurs in our lives because we live in a fallen world. A fallen world means injustices can happen, people die too young, marriages are broken, friendships are lost, etc. The good news is God is a just God, and when we die we will all face true justice from him.
We will go through heartbreaking times but as Charles Spurgeon wrote, “Broken hearts think God is far away when he is really most near to them; their eyes are holden so that they see not their best friend. Indeed, he is with them, and in them, but they know it not.”
When your spirit is crushed, it can be easy to throw heavy stones. It can be easy to point out the flaws in others without looking inward at the hurt that lives in you. When the religious leader of Jesus’s time wanted to stone a woman for adultery he said, in John 8:7, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” Each leader walked away one at a time. And Jesus said to the women, "I do not condemn you, go and leave your life of sin." It is not our job to condemn others but love them while guiding them in truth. This is merely impossible to do with a heavy heart. Jesus called out the women's sin with love and called her to sin no more. When you want to throw stones ask yourself why? Is your spirit heavy? Talking poorly about someone else to make yourself feel better only helps vindicate you at the moment, God’s love however can help you have the peace you are seeking. Turn to Him, through prayer, scripture, listen to a Christian podcast or song. Surround yourself with his goodness through the resources he has placed around you. He loves you and is near to you.
Sources: NIV Bible, https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-34/