This morning in my quiet time I was led to read Psalm 34:18 – The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. In the King James Version it reads "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."
Nigh means near – of place, time, personal relationship. Broken is shabar, a primitive root meaning to burst, but also to cause to break out, bring to the birth. Saveth is yasha, be saved/delivered, liberated, give victory to. I’m no scholar but looked them up as best I could. However, this is what I wrote next:

“In place/time/personal relationship – God is around me, surrounds me, unlimited/limitless. He is not bound and wraps me up in that unbridled, boundless relationship with Him. No beginning, no end – He is there with me always – I am never alone even when I feel I am in the blackest pit of despair and isolation/lonliness. Is my broken heart about to give birth now to something unimaginably better and new? Did He have to allow it to be broken in order to make it limitless and unbounded to bring forth, birth, something so amazing I can’t even begin to wrap my finite/bound mind around it? He saves me, liberates me. Isaiah 58:15 says “to revive the spirit… heart”. Revive is chayah - primitive root to live, make alive, sustain, to cause to grow, quicken, nourish, be whole. Has my heart been broken in order to be made whole by the Lord and for Him? To grow it, make it even more alive than ever before? This gives me hope, excites me, makes me look to the future expectantly, quickens my very being to see what God has planned for my heart’s purpose, for my life. What beautiful and miraculous plans does He have in store for me?”

Perhaps for someone out there today, reading this will minister to you and be a balm that soothes your weary soul. We know not what the future holds, but we know Him Who holds our future.

By the way, there is an interesting little story to this picture. As I was walking one day, I looked down onto the concrete at the leaves that had fallen. Here was this one leaf, battered and obviously run over and crushed by a car, just ground into the rough stones of the parking lot. And yet, it was in this beautiful shape of a heart – even though it had gone through “leaf hell”, it stood its ground and remained true to its form, with a new beauty, completely transformed. Had it been like all the other leaves I would not have noticed it, but now it is forever used in a manner honoring God. Will He not do so much more with us?

My dear friend Marjory commented that "the picture looks like gold leaf - so precious that it can only be applied sparingly, looking almost like delicate and precious filigree. God is the refiner, and if we let Him, He will blow away the dross and make our hearts pure and golden."

Refine us, crush us and do whatever is needed, dearest God our Father/Abba, that we may be refined and used for a greater glory that we cannot see through eyes filled with self-directed tears. Just hold us close as You promise here in Your everlasting arms... whisper Your love into our sobbing hearts so we will be quieted in You. May our hopes and dreams and future be always entrusted to Your plan for us.