What if I could tell you the cause of your sorrows and heartbreak, why you suffer? Would you be interested, would you listen? This  may sound counterintuitive, what I’m about to say, however, if I choose my words carefully, they will point to a simple truth. You, you are the cause of your suffering and heartbreak. Stay with me for just a moment. I’m not saying you are the source, or that you produce the sorrows you feel and think about. Although our imagination can be much more sorrowful than our reality, perhaps this will be a discussion for another day. I’m not saying you bring the heartbreak on yourself, yet sometimes we do, even when our intentions are good. Actually, the most important issue we will discuss is why we are the cause of our heartbreak and what to do about our sorrows.

Go talk to your best friend, your priest or your psychologist, tell them about your plight, that sick feeling you get when things aren’t right, when you know they are terribly wrong. Tell them about those shadowy, sometimes hidden anxieties; the worries and those tired and depressing thoughts that won’t go away. Sometime, probably sooner than later, one of them will ask you, what triggers these episodes, what do see “out there” that makes you so unhappy? What external events, what circumstances, what issues and where are they coming from, that interrupt the gentle flow of your everyday well-being and happiness? Therein lies the source of your heartbreak, the poorly choreographed stage play of the worst movie you’ve ever seen.

Therefore, it is those external circumstances which you can blame for your heartbreak. No, not really. It’s you and I’ll tell you why. You have a loving and caring heart which holds values and virtues as your highest ideals and your best interests and intentions. It is your internal compass which guides you to a place of moral excellence built on a foundation of integrity and perseverance. It is those internal mechanisms which led you to a rich and rewarding life, a life you want to share with those you love, a life you want for those you love. Where did you get this loving heart, you know as well as I, from our Lord, our redeemer, our rescuer, from the triune God we all know and love. And here’s the kicker, He never meant for these beautiful gifts to cause you any suffering or pain. This love, these values, the caring heart is meant to produce a joy greater than we can imagine.

So, what’s the solution to this twist of fate, this paradox of the greatest gifts which cause the most  sorrow? Remembering the truth is simple, seldom easy. Knowing you can give it all to Christ Jesus. He knows you can’t carry your cross. He was among us, and during His time of torment and pain, He couldn’t carry His cross either. He fell three times and His persecutors finally called on the Cyrenian to carry the cross for Him. He knows the utter futility, the sick and undeniable reality which tells us, nothing good can become of this. Yet, His journey to Calvary led to the greatest gift of all, the salvation of souls and the redemption of the new world to come. Give it to Him, it’s His plan and purpose from the beginning of the beginning and for all times to come. Give it to Him, so His gifts may be the source and foundation of our greatest joy, which He intended, so your heart’s desire may be fulfilled, and your joy may be complete.

You see, you know you wouldn’t want it any other way. You would never give up the treasure which has richly, through the grace of God, been given to you. So, keep your pearl of great value, the greatest gift. Live in and with the grace given and received. Keep what’s yours by giving it back to the giver of all good things. Give it all to Him. Blessings for all of us.