Lucy is 63 years old, and she is very aware of it. She knows her knees don’t always cooperate like they used to, she knows she needs a little more recovery time after a long day, and she knows that some of the things she wore at 30 probably need to stay at 30. But Lucy still has the energy of a woman half her age—and sometimes, if we’re being honest, she tries to look like one too. She has lived enough life to know better, but that doesn’t mean her heart has stopped hoping. She still wants companionship—desperately. She still wants somebody to call at the end of the day, somebody to laugh with, pray with, make plans with, and grow with. So, when a relationship she had prayed about suddenly ended, Lucy wasn’t just dealing with the loss of a man. She was dealing with the loss of what she thought might finally be her turn. And that kind of heartbreak can hit us hard.
In Luke 12:7 (NLT), Jesus Christ talks about how intimately our Heavenly Father knows us. He says, “And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” There’s something powerful about remembering this truth when life disappoints us. God has not forgotten us, and He never will. But there’s another truth we can never afford to lose sight of: our hearts belong to God. That truth has to remain anchored in us, especially when we open our hearts to another person. We can love deeply, hope for companionship, and desire a relationship, but we can never hand another person what belongs to God. Our hearts may be touched by people, but they were created to belong to Him.
Sometimes we give another person access to the deepest places in us—the places where our dreams, hopes, desires, and expectations live—and when that relationship falls apart, it can feel like they took a piece of us with them. But heartbreak has a way of exposing what we have been leaning on. And sometimes, in the middle of the tears, God is reminding us, “I am still here. I never left you.” When it comes to our hearts, we should never lean on anybody except Him.
Psalm 34:18 (NLT) says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” Notice that Scripture doesn’t tell us to pretend we aren’t hurt. It doesn’t tell us that mature women shouldn’t cry, shouldn’t grieve, or shouldn’t feel disappointed. We’ve carried families, raised children, worked jobs, held marriages together, buried loved ones, started over, and kept moving when our hearts were screaming for a place to rest. But God never asked us to carry everything alone. There comes a time when strength has to look like surrender. There comes a time when we have to wake up and realize that no human being was ever designed to carry the weight that belongs to God.
Sometimes the wake-up call isn’t that the person was necessarily “the wrong one.” Sometimes the wake-up call is recognizing that we made a person responsible for something only God can provide.
A relationship can bring companionship, affection, laughter, intimacy, and partnership, but it cannot become our source of worth. It cannot determine whether we are valuable, beautiful, chosen, or enough. And it certainly cannot be the thing that convinces us that our lives have finally begun. Isaiah 41:10 (NLT) says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” That is not the promise of a God who watches us hurt from a distance. That is the promise of a Father who is always close, especially when our hearts are breaking.
So maybe it’s time to wake up—not to the idea that love is dangerous, not to the belief that you are too old, too difficult, too independent, too scarred, or somehow being punished because you are still waiting. Wake up to the truth that you are already deeply loved. Your age does not diminish your value. A breakup does not diminish your value. Being single does not diminish your value. And somebody choosing not to stay does not have the authority to tell you who you are.
Let God heal the places where disappointment has made you question yourself. Let Him remind you that your life is not on hold simply because one relationship ended. You may have lost something you wanted, but you have not lost the One who has always known your name, numbered every hair on your head, and promised to be close when your heart is crushed. This relationship may have ended, but God is not finished with you. Your life still has purpose. There is still more ahead. So lift your head, get back up, and remember Who has been holding you all along. The same God who carried you through this will lead you into whatever He has for you next. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“It’s Time to Wake Up”, written by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2026. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.
