Unbreakable? Unburdened?

I am broken, but not abandoned. I am burdened, but not alone.

(Image by NorthCross Church)

Last Saturday, I attended the “Unbreakable and Unburdened” women’s conference with a few friends. Walking into that conference, the words “Unbreakable and Unburdened” felt so out of reach for someone like me.

Because when your life has been turned upside down and world has shattered into pieces, you feel anything but unbreakable. You’re weighed down by the pain of loss and the overwhelming challenges that follow. Each breath feels heavy, as though you’re carrying the world on your chest. Unbreakable? Unburdened? That is foreign to my reality.

The keynote speaker, a fellow Christian, a writer, blogger and podcaster shared from her heart. She wasn’t speaking as someone untouched by suffering, but as a mother, a daughter, a wife who had endured her own valleys of hardship. Her stories were honest, filled with struggle and pain. And yet, in the midst of it all, she found strength in Jesus.

As I listened, I felt something stir inside me. Looking around the room, I saw tears glistening in nearly every eye. Pain is universal. Suffering levels us all. And yet, so is the deep yearning for hope - for a love strong enough to hold us when we cannot hold ourselves.

And in that space of shared sorrow, I began to sense a deeper meaning of these words. Perhaps “unbreakable” doesn’t mean we never break; it means when life shatters us, we break into the hands of the One who will never let us go. “Unburdened” doesn’t mean we live without pain; it means the weight is no longer ours to carry alone, because Jesus shoulders it with us.

Jesus never promised us a life without sorrow, but He promised His everlasting presence. He whispers to the weary: “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” — Matthew 11:28

So no, I didn’t leave that conference feeling “unbreakable.” I left feeling seen. And that was enough.

I am broken, but not abandoned.

I am burdened, but not alone.

Pain will remain. Grief will always be part of my story. But so will love. So will faith. So will the God who refuses to let go of even the most shattered hearts…