The Porcelain Heart

Once upon a time, not so long ago, a man loved a little girl. He watched her grow up and knew her in every way. He loved her as His own and she loved Him in her youthful innocence. They spent many nights together talking, playing and laughing. One night like this He presented her with a gift He created for her. In wonder the little girl, who was becoming a young lady, lifted a perfect, beautiful porcelain heart out of the box. She marveled at its' beauty and treasured it close for a long time. Her Guardian offered to keep it safe for her on numerous occasions but she always laughed Him off, wanting to show the world the beauty of the heart He'd made her. As she grew older the time she spent with this man grew sparse. There were some days where things would be as they were when she was little, and in those moments He would plead with her to let Him guard the heart, warning her of its' fragility. But she held onto it, dismayed that He would try and take something so precious to her.

The two grew further apart and before she realized what was happening the little girl, now a young lady, was swept off of her feet by a handsome young man. He showered her with praises, exclaiming of her beauty. The young lady was sure that when she showed him her beautiful porcelain heart he would be awed as she was at this treasure. So she gave it to the young man in hopes of showing him how much she'd grown to love him. She trusted him to protect it for her. For a while he did. Then he grew a little careless. Over time it got some chips and cracks in it but wasn't completely ruined. The girl expressed her disappointment but the young man promised to be more careful and repair it, so she let him keep it. Weeks went by and the cracks in the heart only grew. Finally she made a decision. She had to get her heart back and leave. So, she timidly approached the young man who still held the heart loosely in his hand. When she reached for it he held it out to her saying, "Take it, I have no use for something so delicate. It's worthless to me." Once the heart was in her possession she turned and ran - hard, fast, and long. As soon as the young lady was far enough away from the handsome young man she fell to the ground and wept, for in all that happened the heart was shattered into bits and pieces. Her beautiful porcelain heart was destroyed. Only the skillful hand of the master craftsman could repair it.

She slowly turned in the direction of the home of her Guardian, knowing there was nowhere else for her to go. It was a long journey and she went over and over what she would do and say. The last thing she wanted to do was show Him the heart broken as it was. She could imagine the disappointment in His eyes. On her way back she tried many things to put it back together and some would work… for a while… and then it would break all over again. Still she continued on. Just when she got to the door of her Guardian's home she concealed the pieces of the heart in her clothing, deciding not to reveal its' brokenness. He opened the door and embraced her warmly with tears streaming down His face. The young lady sobbed brokenly, muttering apologies for not coming sooner. She was taken in, cleaned up, given new clothes to wear and her old room back. For many days she rested in her room, all the while wondering what to do with the broken heart. She and her Guardian went on daily walks where they talked about all manner of things, but He never asked her about it. He just waited. Many weeks went by, becoming months, and the girl couldn't bring herself to show Him the pieces of the once beautiful porcelain heart.

One evening they sat together watching the sunset in content silence. She sighed and leaned back soaking up the last bit of the suns warmth. As the final rays disappeared on the horizon He stood, looked at her, and said, "It’s time." Her heartbeat accelerated while she looked up at Him, knowing He was right. So, she got up and led the way to her room. There she opened a small chest that held the pieces of her heart and pulled out each one, laying them on the table like a scattered puzzle. They were there for what seemed like hours while she cried and told Him the story. He simply looked at her with compassion, carefully collected each piece, and without a word slipped out the door. That night she she slept soundly, relieved that she no longer had to protect the secret of her heart.

The heart was not mentioned, and the young lady knew without asking that He would take care of it. Months went by. Months that she spent learning under her guardian and talking with Him. During this time she grew and was nourished and healthy. There were occasions in which she wondered what became of the broken pieces but she never asked.

One morning as she was going about her daily chores and studies her Gaurdian came in and pulled her aside. With a radiant grin on His face He pulled a box from behind His back and held it out to her. Not believing what her eyes were telling her was true she stared, open-mouthed. In slow-motion she opened the box and uncovered… a porcelain heart. Not just any heart, her porcelain heart. It wasn't exactly the same as the one she had before, but more spectacular and beautiful. There were no cracks, no chips, just the purest porcelain. As silent, joyful tears slipped down her cheeks she reached into the box and tenderly pulled out the heart, admiring its' smooth texture. With careful movements the young lady knelt before this man and held the heart out to Him saying, "This heart can only ever belong to one person... it's maker. You alone are worthy of such a beautiful treasure. I love you Jesus."

The End