November 2025 – Healing with Harotian

Hello Friends,

I was reflecting the other day on how do we live while experiencing a broken heart. With everything going on in the world, we may also be experiencing loss, disappointment, betrayal, or grief. It can feel overwhelming. I used to think that if I closed myself off, I wouldn’t have the experience any of it. Yet, that is not the case. If anything, it would pile up with each incident, thus causing a volcano effect when I couldn’t hold it in any longer.

I hate feeling heartbroken. I think more so than the average person. When I feel my heart has been grounded into sand like crystals, I take it really hard. It seems I go into a dark, deep depression, blaming myself for allowing my heart to be open to the person that broke it. This doesn’t seem normal, or it is?

Over the years, I’ve had to figure out how to live with a broken heart, otherwise, it would have killed me. When experiencing a broken heart, my immediate reaction would be to end it by any means necessary, including suicide. I would think to myself, dying is better than walking through this pain. The pain would be that excruciating. I had to choose between life or death. One would think this would have been an easy decision. I mean, I have a lot to live for; my children, my career, my health, God. But when the pain is spewing from my pores, it would seem that none of that mattered. Until, I decided to submit to God.

One day, I begged God to please help me. I want to live, but I don’t want to feel this pain anymore. His answer was simple, quiet, and loving: “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV.

Interesting…. “….my power is made perfect in weakness…”. That is wonderful! So you mean to tell me that through Christ, there IS healing, peace, and restoration when I am weak? When I am hurting? Through my weakness, that is when Jesus is most powerful in me? This means I don’t have to do anything but rest in Him and He will take care of the rest.

Things that I learned during my weakest moments of darkness and sadness:

1. Humbly bring our pain to God- God already knows our hearts and he is not surprised by our pain. Yet, honestly speaking to Him allows us to pour our heart out and not hide behind a veil of pretend strength.

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

2. Remind ourselves that Jesus is compassionate- Jesus went through heartbreak himself. Jesus himself wept, was betrayed, and suffered deeply. When we feel alone, remember that Jesus faced all of the things we are facing today. Not only does he understanding, but he feels what we feel.

“He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.” -Isaiah 53:3

3. Lay our burden at the foot of the cross- Remind ourselves that we are not in control of things we cannot fix. We must surrender our pain to Jesus in order for him to carry what we cannot. He was literally made for it.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” -Matthew 11:28

4. Stay in Gods Word daily- God’s Word is like medicine for the soul. Reading scripture daily will bring light, healing, and restoration. Here are some scripture to meditate on everyday:

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” -Psalm 147:3

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him.” -Romans 8:28

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.” -John 14:27

5. Surround yourself with faithful support- God often heals our heart through other people. We are not to isolate ourselves. We are not meant to heal alone.

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:11

6. Allow your pain to become purpose- Healing doesn’t mean forgetting. It means allowing God to transform your pain into wisdom, compassion, and strength. One day, our stories of heartbreak will be someone else’s source of hope.

“What is meant for evil, God meant for good.” – Genesis 50:20

As I navigate through this broken season, I must remind myself that this is for a moment and in this moment, I have a faithful, loving Father ready to pour all of His love and mercy onto me. When I talk to Him, almost always without fail, I feel the weight lifting off of me. The pain may still be there, but the fact that He is also there makes it bearable. Thank God for Jesus.

I pray that if you are experiencing a broken heart, that the Lord comes to comfort you by wrapping His loving arms around you and give you peace. Here a prayer that you can pray to help you get through:

Heavenly Father,
My heart feels heavy and torn. The pain of this loss weighs deeply on my spirit. I come to You because You are close to the brokenhearted and save those who are crushed in spirit. Lord, wrap me in Your loving arms and remind me that I am never alone. Heal the wounds that only You can see. Replace my sadness with peace, my confusion with clarity, and my hurt with hope. Help me to forgive where I need to, to release what I cannot change, and to trust that You have a greater purpose for my life. Teach me to rest in Your timing and to believe that Your plans for me are still good. Restore my joy, renew my strength, and fill my heart with Your perfect love that never fails. In Jesus’ name, I pray,
Amen.

Hello Friends,

Today, I was led to read Romans 8: 1-4 NKJV that states:

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

There is so much to unpack in these four verses. Here is a quick breakdown.

If we believe in Jesus, we do not have to live in guilt or shame.
It is because of Jesus that the Spirit of Christ gives you eternal life, and we are saved from the power of sin and death.
We are not expected to live by the law because it cannot save us from death. Only the death of Jesus could save us from eternal damnation. Jesus came in human form and paid the price for our sins.
The demands of living by the law are no longer our responsibility. The only thing we have to do is live by the Spirit and not the flesh.

So what does it mean to live by the Spirit and not by the flesh? In everyday life, that means being in a committed relationship with Jesus, and we are no longer judged under the old law. We are free. We simply have to allow Jesus into our lives and let the Spirit take over. We are not expected to follow a set of rules as they did in the Old Testament. We are forgiven for being sinful creatures, which is our nature, because we live in a sinful world.

Did you know that one of the leading causes of death in whales is drowning? The whales get entangled in fishing gear, preventing them from coming up for air. Since whales are mammals, they need air to breathe. That is why whales have to come up for air at least every 5-15 minutes during shallow depths and 8-50 minutes during deeper dives. Typically, whales stay above water for approximately two minutes before diving again. This is interesting to me. Whales dwell in the sea, yet they were not made to be of the sea. Still, they carry the tools of survival—blowholes to breathe, fins to glide, and smooth skin to move with grace through the water. This is how I think of us. Although we live in the world, we are not made to be of the world. We live in this world, but we were created to belong to the world. God has given us survival tools – His Word, His Spirit, and His grace – to help us navigate in an environment that is not our true home. He sacrificed His only Son through His great love so that we can rise above this world and not allow it to swallow us whole.

So what does following Jesus and not following rules look like:

Following Jesus requires following Him and His teachings, not a set of rules. This is a gift given to us by God through grace, not something we can earn by “doing the right things”. It is less about “I must follow this rule” and more about “I want to be in a relationship with Jesus”.
- Being in a relationship with Jesus is like being in a relationship with anyone that you love deeply.
  - Feeling safe emotionally and physically
  - Open communication
  - Having their best interest at heart
  - Support and encouragement
  - Having fun
  - Encountering deep intimacy
  - Sharing shared values
Following Jesus requires being transformed by grace and not performance. Our inner man changes because Jesus changes our heart from the inside out. We are not required to “follow the rules” to earn God’s favor. It is already given to us through His mercy, grace, and love. There is nothing that we do to separate us from the love of God.
Following Jesus requires us to be motivated out of love and freedom. Being led by the Spirit is being led by love, mercy, and justice, not living by literal rules. We are embracing the values he encompasses.
Following Jesus is about having an ongoing discipleship. It is a journey. It means continually learning, transforming, and being guided by the Spirit, not the flesh (the world).

For me, I am relieved by this. We currently live in a world where we have to follow rules day in and day out; at our jobs, our governments, the law, our children, school, etc. We are always under a lot of pressure to follow rules and regulations. It is wonderful that we are given grace, love, and mercy free of charge. And what’s even better, we are allowed a free trip to Heaven by grace and not by being “perfect”. Thank God for glory.

This is probably a lot of information, so I appreciate you reading my thoughts. Please remember to pray for one another and love each other as Christ loves us.

Month: November 2025

Living Through the Pain

Following the Rules vs. Following Jesus