Counsels on Self-Identity

Counsel #16 — Relational Brokenness

Picture: Counsel #16 — Relational Brokenness CI 116.1

What do you do when relationships leave you feeling damaged, ashamed, or unwanted? Maybe it’s the wound of a failed marriage, the ache of long-term singleness, the silence between you and someone you love, or the weight of a past mistake you can’t seem to shake. Sometimes relational wounds cut so deep that they make you question your worth. CI 116.2

Amid emotional chaos, Jesus meets women in their pain, silence, and shame. That’s what He did with the Samaritan woman at the well, for example. She had five former husbands and was living with a man she wasn’t married to the day Jesus met her. One day, she went alone to draw water from a well, likely to avoid the judgmental eyes of her community. But Jesus was there. He confronted her, speaking directly to her story, offering her “living water,” or healing, wholeness, and identity beyond her relational history. Through this story, Jesus demonstrates that you don’t have to be defined by your brokenness. Whether your heart has been bruised by rejection, betrayal, pornography, weaponized intimacy, or the longing for companionship, Jesus offers restoration, comfort, and transformation.^[117] CI 116.3

“Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.” Psalms 34:5 NIV CI 116.4

“True love is a high and holy principle…” Ellen White in From Eternity Past, p. 112 CI 116.5

Reflect: What relational wounds are you still carrying? Are you willing to let Jesus heal them? CI 116.6