love that stays

when love hurts but faith helps you heal (and maybe even love again)

Love should feel safe. It should be a place of trust, kindness and faithfulness. But what happens when love is broken? When the people we trust hurt us? When love feels like pain instead of joy?

Many of us want to love, but our past experiences have made us cautious. Maybe you’ve been betrayed. Maybe your heart has been broken. Maybe you’ve given so much and received so little in return. How do you love again when love has left scars?

Growing up, love felt foreign to me. I saw contradictions everywhere. My dad’s anger and my mom’s endless capacity to give even when that love wasn’t returned left me confused. I watched as my mom continued to serve, to give, to love, even when my dad rejected her kindness. I couldn’t understand it. Was love supposed to look like this?

As I got older, two voices battled within me:

• One voice, shaped by what I witnessed, told me that love was about pain, lying, cheating and toxicity. It felt familiar. It was easy to believe.

• The other voice, unfamiliar and challenging, spoke of faithfulness, boundaries, respect and serving others. It required trust. It required surrender.

But why would you be faithful to someone you don’t truly know? Why would you set boundaries? Why would you love when love has hurt you before?

I struggled with these questions. Maybe you have, too. If you’ve been hurt, staying guarded feels like the safer choice. You protect yourself from pain but you also block yourself from real love. You avoid betrayal, but you also miss out on deep, meaningful relationships. You keep your heart safe, but you also keep it from healing. The truth is, brokenness doesn’t heal itself. You can carry it or you can surrender it to God.

Despite everything she faced, my mom never stopped giving.

• I saw her give food when we barely had any.

• I saw her give clothes instead of burning them, as my dad often did.

• I saw her care for others, even when she received little in return.

One day, I asked her why she kept giving when she got nothing back.

She told me a story from the Bible about a woman who cared for widows and the needy. When the woman died, the widows cried out to God, reminding Him of all she had done, and God brought her back to life. “Giving,” my mom explained, “isn’t about what we receive, but the chain we create by what we give. We might not see the immediate effect, but the seed sown will grow.“ This made me think of something Mother Teresa once said “Love is not about what we have, but what we give.” My mom’s love wasn’t just an emotion, it was a choice. I could choose to love, even when it hurt. The same kind of choice that Jesus made for us.

For a long time, I didn’t believe in true love. Yes. I had seen too much pain. But then, I started to see God working in my life.

• I know the sting of heartbreak.

• I know what it’s like to be betrayed.

• I know the pain of giving love and receiving pain in return.

But here’s what I want you to know: You can love again. You can trust again.

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. — C.S. Lewis

No one has ever experienced deeper heartbreak than Jesus. He loved, even when He was betrayed. He forgave, even when He was abandoned. When God’s anger burned against our sin, Jesus interceded for us. If your heart is broken, surrender it to Him. If you’re tired, let Him carry the weight

Psalm 34:18 says The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Healing doesn’t mean forgetting the hurt. It means trusting God to bring beauty from the ashes. AND HE WILL! only if you let Him

Maybe you’re not ready to love fully today. Maybe you’re still healing. That’s okay. Healing takes time. But take one small step, pray, open your heart, extend grace, trust God’s process.

One step today. Another tomorrow.

Keep going. Keep loving. Keep trusting. Keep building.

Know this, JESUS LOVES YOU! ❤️

A Prayer for Healing & Love

Dear God,

I come to you with a heart that has known pain and hurt. I ask for your healing touch to mend the broken places within me. Help me to trust in your love, even when I struggle to love others or myself. Give me the strength to give, love, and trust again. Remind me of your promises, and fill me with your peace.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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