This has been a long winter for those who love a Christian church. The abuses of power and the betrayal of faithful people, and of God, have made my heart swing low.

My friend Jenny has been asking herself (and me in the process) what it means to love an institution. Do we abandon it when it transgresses? Do we refuse to leave, insisting that our presence will help redeem it? Some days, I do not know what my own answer is.

What I do know is, it is surprising how many ways a heart can break. We often think of heartbreak as something we experience in passionate relationships, especially when we are young and entranced. But I listen to the news and feel a tear somewhere deep that I cannot touch with my hands.

And simultaneously, I hear a whisper that this hurt comes from a heart that has grown bigger. We do not grieve that which we do not love. Maybe the shock is not how many ways a heart can break, but how many ways it can love.