People have many reasons to have broken hearts. I recall my first real heartbreak. I think I was about 15 years old and I was madly in love with a fine young lady.

Lacking the social skills needed to engage this young lady in conversation, I did what many boys my age do, I started to tease the girl.

Unless she had wisdom beyond her years she likely did not understand why boys teased girls. Teasing is what a boy does to a girl he likes but is nervous about engaging her in normal conversation.

Where the real heartbreak came was when the young lady’s father had his company move him and the family to another part of Canada far from where I lived.

All contact was effectively cut off and I did not see her again until years after both of us were happily married to other people. I was a very sad young man for many months as I sought to get over my “first love”.

An older and more mature man called Simon Peter had his heart broken late one tragic night and he was completely crushed by the unexpected turn of events that brought on his grief.

Peter had made a public vow to Jesus to follow Him to the death and within a few hours Peter had denied knowing Jesus three times. Peter had no way of knowing what was coming to shatter his self-confidence and cause him to do such a dreadful thing to his beloved Master.

No one who knew the rambunctious Peter would have guessed how quickly and how far Peter would fall in just a few hours. But fall he did and when he realized what he had done, he convulsed in weeping and immediately left the scene of his failure.

However, when Jesus had risen from the dead He sent a message to the disciples that He wanted to see them in Galilee, Jesus’ home province. In the message to the disciples back in Jerusalem Jesus only mentions Peter by name. This is a special word of encouragement to Peter who had done more to shame himself than the others and would therefore be particularly embarrassed at seeing the beloved Master.

It is so touching how Jesus seeks to help those who may have fallen and are in need of restoration. Peter was completely overcome with his desertion of Jesus but Jesus eagerly mended Peter’s broken heart and there is no record of Him mentioning Peter’s failure to the others.

If you have fallen from favour with the Lord, see how gently He leads you back to Himself. He is not so determined to punish your sin as He is to restore your fellowship with Him. Come back to Him and pour out your troubled heart. He will receive you with gladness and embrace you with love. Come to Him and come today.