Devotionals for the Heart: How to find hope in broken relationships

Finding Hope in Broken Relationships
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here.”—2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
Have you ever loved someone who ended up disappointing you? Maybe they hurt you emotionally, or betrayed you, or perhaps they did something to another person so awful you had to cut ties with them?

Broken relationships are one of the hardest things we humans navigate during our lifetime. The pain we experience, and the decisions we have to make, can be difficult and even traumatic. In my life I’ve rarely had to completely break ties with someone I’ve loved, but I’ve had to put firm boundaries in place. Even that can be tremendously challenging.

Perhaps because it’s so hard, it’s one of the topics I find myself coming back to over and over again, not only in my faith blogs and other nonfiction but in my fiction. I’m particularly drawn to difficult family relationships—mostly because you often feel “stuck” with your family, so you’re forced to find creative ways to deal with tension and brokenness. And sometimes those methods are decidedly imperfect. For instance, the sibling relationship is one of the most complicated and extraordinarily beautiful that we’ll ever experience. But sometimes, horribly painful circumstances can erect walls between siblings—walls so high they cause permanent damage.

That’s the crux of my latest novel, Tangled Roots, explores the broken relationship between Tiff and James, a brother and sister who were once so close they relied on each other for survival—but now they can barely speak to each other.

Tiff and James grew up in a dilapidated former mill town, two children of abusive, alcoholic parents. James was Tiff’s protector throughout her childhood—her hero—but their lives took two very different paths. He joined a gang and wound up locked up in prison for a hate crime, while she got a college scholarship and moved far away, burying herself in her faith and her future. Now, in peaceful Dahlia, South Carolina, she’s finally built the respectable life she’s always craved. With a proposal from her upstanding boyfriend Bobby, everything seems perfect.

Then she gets word that her brother has been released from prison—and his parole officer wants him to join Tiff in Dahlia. But Tiff hasn’t told anyone, including her fiancé, about her past—or about her brother. Nor has she forgiven her brother for the wrongs he’s done, or for abandoning her to survive the chaos of their family alone. And she can’t believe her brother really has become a born-again Christian and wants to turn his life around, despite his letters and his pleas. She’s also not convinced that she herself won’t repeat the cycle her family started.

I won’t tell you anything else, because I hope you’ll read the book and see how Jesus Christ triumphs over this seemingly irredeemable situation. But here’s the not-so-secret real-life secret: Jesus does fix our broken, seemingly irredeemable, seemingly unfixable messes.

I’m fascinated with Christian redemption stories, the way that deeply flawed people undergo a profound, miraculous transformation as they see the proverbial light and begin to walk God’s path for their lives. Perhaps it’s because I myself am a redemption story, and I’ve seen the powerful and beautiful ways God works in our lives. At its core, that’s where this book originates—in the notion that no matter how far away someone seems from Christ, no matter how many wrongs they’ve done or how bad a sin they might have committed, no one is exempt from the saving grace of Jesus Christ. No one, no matter what. There is room for everyone at God’s table.

God’s love is that powerful. One of my favorite Bible verses is 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV). It reads, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here.” That’s how big God’s love for us is—we who genuinely believe have the opportunity for a do-over, a rewrite, a truly fresh start, no matter what. In our relationships, sometimes that’s not possible or healthy. But with God, it’s different. God wipes our slate clean.

If you’re someone who, like me, has had to navigate your share of broken real-life relationships, take heart. On this side of Heaven, things don’t always get resolved. But sometimes they do. Yet no matter what, you can be certain Jesus is walking right beside you. He knows your pain and your heartache, your baggage and your guilt, your anger and your anguish. And he can help.

Let’s Pray: Lord, thank You for your willingness to shine your pure and holy light into the darkest of circumstances and the darkest of relationships. Thank You for meeting me in my pain and understanding the whole situation. I surrender all to You and your healing mercy. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection #1: "I Surrender All" by CeCe Winans. Listen to it here.
Song of Reflection #2: "The Master's Hand" by Annie Herring. Listen to it here.
Song of Reflection #3: "Broken and Beautiful" by Mark Schultz. Listen to it here.
Song of Reflection #4: "Testimony" by Terrian. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach. She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism. 

Her two Christian contemporary novels, The Memory Garden and Tangled Roots , are Amazon bestsellers. Learn more about Jessica’s writing ministry and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com. She has a YouTube devotional, and you can also connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, and more. She’s also produced a free eBook, A God-Centered Life: 10 Faith-Based Practices When You’re Feeling Anxious, Grumpy, or Stressed.