When you become a victim of a crime, it knocks the wind out of you. There are many crimes worldwide where police are not able to track down and apprehend the perpetrators. One such crime are scams where highly skilled rascals pry on unsuspecting persons. At first you feel stupefied and wonder if this is for real. Then the anger sets in; you are angry with the perpetrators of the crime and you are angry with yourself for falling into that trap. Your heart sinks to an all-time low and you feel a numbness inside.
A sunken heart is a heart that is in utter despair. It mourns for a deep loss, which sometimes is irreplaceable. No amount of positive self-talk can lift you up as you fall into this hole. Your heart yearns for love and comfort to make it through the day. Sometimes well-meaning friends can say the wrong things that cause you to feel really stupid and low.
They say experience is the best teacher and difficult lessons stretches us and makes us wiser. So, what do you say to someone who has fallen prey to a crime? When you see the pain in their eyes and sense the despair in their heart, sometimes there is no words to say. Your job is to support them through this ordeal. Empathy is not advising the person who is feeling down but rather sitting in that hole with the person with the sunken heart and holding their hand (read 2 Corinthians 1:3-4). They need time to grieve, but not indefinitely.
The book of Ruth is a classic case of a sunken heart. Naomi immigrated to a foreign land and lost her husband and two sons. Her world was scattered and she grieved bitterly for them. She told her friends not to call her Naomi but Mara instead because her life had become like bitter water (Ruth 1:20). That season of grief was indeed painful. However, as seasons change, the winter of her life turned to spring when her daughter in law, Ruth met her relative Boaz. Summer once more embraced Naomi when she was blessed with a grandson.
It is so true that bad things do happen to good people. It might appear that criminals go unpunished, but their day of reckoning will come. Isaiah 13:9-11 tells us that the day of the Lord is coming. Isaiah 13:11a (GWT) says, “I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their wrongdoing.”
We may never know why bad things happen to good people and why God allows it. We simply have to trust God at His word that the perpetrators of crime will be judged and the innocent will be avenged. Psalm 34:18 (NASB) says, “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.” The hearts of the innocent will rejoice again. ◊
Linda Pearl
About the Author
