The World Needs the Heartbreak You Risk
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How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!
– Romans 10:14-15 (NLT)
Mission is not simply something we do somewhere else. God is already at work in the world redeeming, restoring, and reconciling. Also God has made it clear that He wants to work in partnership with us to do this work. But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!” (Romans 10:14-15, NLT)
God’s plan is to partner with us to accomplish his work.
That sounds inspiring. But inspiration is still safe. Application is the change, and that is not safe. Feet are required to be on the ground. Your feet. The possibility of you being hurt and beautiful.
This partnership asks us to risk something. It asks us to say yes when we don't know exactly what we are getting into. Say yes to leading that small group. Say yes to mentoring that young person. Say yes to organizing an outreach. Say yes to stepping in when someone is sick. Say yes to the curious new ministry opportunity. Say yes to loving your neighbor when love becomes inconvenient.
The world needs the heartbreak you risk.
Heartbreak is not a mistake. It is not something you have to outrun, numb, or quickly fix. Sometimes heartbreak is holy.
Sometimes that ache is an invitation from God. It is a signal that you have stumbled upon something worthy of your life, something you cared about deeply enough to hurt when it was threatened, lost, or broken.
Pay attention to this. Follow the heartbreak. Ask what it is revealing about what you love, what you value, what you cannot ignore. Let it break open something in you instead of simply breaking you down. Your heartbreak may be pointing you toward the place where God wants you to risk your love, your bravery, your compassion, and your life.
Do you know what the beautiful people (who have beautiful feet) know? They know the nearness of God in a personal way. They have been amazed. They have hurt. They have learned that the presence of God is not reserved for the mountaintops. They trust God.
How beautiful are the feet of the messengers who bring good news!
Are you inspired? The next step is application and that is not for a safe faith. You are being asked to put some skin in the game so you can be Jesus with skin on. It is how brave stories are made.
The world needs the heartbreak you risk.
Questions for Reflection:
1. What does it mean to you that God wants to work in partnership with us? Does that feel exciting, intimidating, or both?
2. The article says, “Your feet are required to be on the ground.” What is one place where your faith needs to become more tangible or active?
3. What is something you have felt inspired about but haven't yet acted on?
4. “The world needs the heartbreak you risk.” What do you think that means?
5. What is one “yes” you sense God might be inviting you to say? What makes that yes difficult?
6. What is your next faithful step and what would it take for you to actually put your feet on the ground and take it?
