Creative Faithfulness
God Heals the Brokenhearted
“The broken pieces of our stories can become a beautiful mosaic if we allow ourselves to breathe, listen, and wait,” Klara, a young lady in Israel, recently commented during an art therapy session.
Since October 7, many Israelis are heartbroken. Some have lost loved ones; others have seen their marriages fall apart due to the tensions. Some have experienced reawakened childhood traumas; others have been overcome by fear and anxiety.
Faced with these painful situations, it is easy to lose hope. But Psalm 147:3 reminds us that “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” God wants to heal these broken hearts. I have witnessed it in the art therapy workshops I lead in Israel!
I have the privilege of working alongside another art therapist, an Israeli believer who runs an art therapy center north of Tel Aviv, to offer group workshops on the theme of grief and loss. We use collage, painting, mosaics, writing, and more.
We welcome people from very different backgrounds – religious, secular, those who have already taken a step toward the Messiah, those who have never heard of Him, and those who reject Him completely – all are welcomed and received with love. Painful situations can be brought to light in this safe space where participants recognize their wounds, which is the first step toward healing.
During a session with Holocaust survivors, each participant received a beautiful vase containing a candle covered in stones. We invited them to remove the “stones” that were blocking the beauty in their lives so God’s light could shine in and through them. It was so powerful as each person decided to remove the things that were weighing them down. When we talked about forgiveness, there were tears and prayers. Then they decorated their vase and welcomed something new and beautiful, in order to shine and reflect the Creator.
This activity illustrates how God is healing broken hearts. Klara testified, “Today I learned that the pace of healing is slower than the pace of the world. But it is deeper. And it lasts.”
Amidst these beautiful moments, we regularly feel spiritual opposition, and these workshops demand a lot from us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Yet it is through these creative opportunities that God’s covenantal love is demonstrated to individuals like Klara, who experienced the first step towards healing. Please pray that we stay on course and are continually renewed by the Lord. Your prayers are precious to us!
*Abigail, Life in Messiah staff member
