Most good discussions or conversations usually begin with
a question. Where are you going on vacation this year? What do you think of the
new Transformers movie? What is the meaning of life? Why is there air? Does
your chewing gum lose its flavor on the bedpost overnight? (Just wanted to see
if you were listening, and who might get that obscure reference.) All these
questions seem to rattle our minds and get us thinking about stuff. So, let me
ask you a question today to get you started.
Have you ever been broken? I hear you saying, “Ron, now
do you mean broken physically, emotionally, spiritually, economically….what?” I
can only answer, “Yes.”
I’ve had personal experience in the broken department.
About fifteen months ago, I came to know what it means to
be truly physically broken. My heart stopped, simple as that. What caused it?
Who knows. But, then I found myself in the center of what I call a “perfect
storm”. From the cardiologist who just happened to be at the scene, to the
various people I knew along the process, to the life flight to Cleveland (they
don’t have in-flight movies, by the way), to the speed in which I was put into
surgery for stent placement……… all worked towards saving my life, and I’m
convinced God made it all happen. Someone once said there are no coincidences,
only God incidents. Now, whether God has more for me to do here beyond sharing
my story has yet to be seen. But, I’m trying to stay open to any and all
suggestions and guidance He sends my way.
But, I’ve also experienced heartbreak at the betrayal of
friends, at the thought of the injustice of this world, and at the thought that
I might not be able to finish what I have to do here, or even that maybe I
already have finished it. In my brokenness, I’ve been angry, sad, frustrated,
apathetic, I’ve flown into rages, shown
my contempt through sarcasm, and just about gave up on everything. All because
I refused to see just how broken I was at those times.
And, while those times may appear to be sobering, I have
found that having to rely on God to get me through them has helped change some
of my attitudes and ways of dealing with the brokenness in my life.
To quote Henri Nouwen - “Our life is full of brokenness -
broken relationships, broken promises, broken expectations. How can we live
with that brokenness without becoming bitter and resentful except by returning
again and again to God's faithful presence in our lives.”
Now, let’s look at some biblical examples of brokenness.
Think of your favorite parable. What is it? Sheep and goats…… the widow’s
mite…… the fig tree…… lost stuff…….. Mine has to be the prodigal son. It’s the
story of two brothers and their dad who happen to be in a broken relationship.
Well, really, two relationships. Okay, three. We have the youngest son wanting
what he thinks he deserves right now, symbolically wishing his dad dead, and
ignoring his older brother’s rights. We have the older brother who is so angry
at his kid brother’s life style choices, that even when his sibling returns, he
can’t bring himself to join in a party celebrating the younger’s coming home.
Sure, he thinks his dad is ridiculous, too, for throwing such a shindig. Do
they make up? Is their relationship restored? The story never tells, But the
story is used to illustrate how we can be broken and not even realize it. It
makes you think about your own selfishness and stubbornness and how it hurts
you and others. I look at my own relationships, some I take for granted, some I
ignore, and I see there is a certain amount of brokenness in some of them. In
the prodigal son story, the father gives the sons a way to reconciliation. It
is through including God; turning the process over to Him, and forgiving one
another that they might be repaired.
And what about the beatitudes? Look at that list of
people there. Can you see the potential for brokenness in each group? As you
look at each, try to speculate, try to imagine what happened in their lives to
bring about the need Jesus says they have. Then, think about the reward each
will get at the hands of our Savior.
Matthew 5:1-12 - When Jesusa saw
the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came
to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
3 “Blessed are the poor
in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
In her book, Brokenness, the Heart God Revives,
Nancy Leigh DeMoss states, “Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in
spirit" - contrary to what we would expect, brokenness is the pathway to
blessing! There are no alternative routes; there are no short-cuts. The very
thing we dread and are tempted to resist is actually the means to God's
greatest blessings in our lives.”
4 “Blessed are those
who mourn, for they will be comforted.” How many of us have experienced
mourning and then found comfort in our faith, in the love and compassion of
Jesus, and in the support of others in our Christian community?
5 “Blessed are the
meek, for they will inherit the earth.” My thesaurus tells me I can use humble
or patient instead of meek. Think of the times you’ve rushed into something,
thought you had it all figured out, only to have it blow up and cause pain and
discomfort. Patience and humility are valuable assets, but sometimes come at a
great price.
6 “Blessed are those
who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Those are
the ones who see the injustice in their own lives and in this world, then try
to make some sense of it to try to find solutions.
7 “Blessed are the
merciful, for they will receive mercy.” They recognize their own hurting and
need for forgiveness, extending it to others instead of seeking revenge and
restitution.
8 “Blessed are the pure
in heart, for they will see God.” Ah, the pure in heart. Too often they find
themselves as the targets of ridicule and sarcasm, misunderstood as they are
seen as being full of themselves, and holier than thou.
9 “Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” We can only imagine what
they have experienced so that they seek out an equitable, just compromise when
trouble arises.
10 “Blessed are those
who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when
people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you
falselyb on
my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in
heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” These
are the ones who suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous treatment,
slanderous words, and being excluded from society due to their commitment to
God and His will.
Again, quoting Nancy Leigh DeMoss - “True brokenness is a
lifestyle - a moment-by-moment lifestyle of agreeing with God about the true
condition of my heart and life - not as everyone else thinks it is but as He
knows it to be.”
“Being broken isn't the worst thing. We can be mended and
put together again. We don’t have to be ashamed of our past. We can embrace the
history that gives us value, and see our cracks as beautiful.” That comes from Anna
White, in her book Mended: Thoughts on Life,
Love, and Leaps of Faith
How do you make an omelet? You need eggs, seasoning, and
some sort of filling. The only way the eggs can be useful is to break them, to
get at the stuff inside, to use it to create something in a different form.
This is how God uses us in our brokenness. He takes what we offer, as imperfect
as it is, and He uses it for building character through our brokenness.
Vance Havner has this to say about God’s using us. “God
uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to
give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the
broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. It is Peter, weeping bitterly,
who returns to greater power than ever.”
Before my heart attack, I was doing 5K races and averaging
around 40 minutes. In fact, it was about a mile into one that the heart attack
happened. But, that may have delayed my running and walking, but it didn’t stop
it completely. Within a couple of months, I was back training, eventually
working my way into racing again. But in the “fixing” of my heart, even though I’ve
had improved blood flow, I am a bit slower. God is using that to keep me
grounded, keep me focused on what a miracle this life is, keep me appreciating
each day as a gift. Getting faster is not such a priority now. Finishing each
race is. Paul even had something to say about that.
In Hebrews 12:1-2, we
find these words:
“12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a
cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings
so closely,[a] and
let us run with perseverance the race
that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus the pioneer and
perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of[b] the
joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has
taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.” We are to keep at it,
keep going, even when our brokenness slows us down, even when we get frustrated
and start questioning the wisdom of the race, for, as Paul says, it is the race
that is set before us. It is part of God’s plan for our lives. You might even
say it is our destiny.
It’s okay to be broken, for it is when we are in that
state we realize our dependence on God to fill in and help us move on. Just
because you’re broken doesn’t mean you have to be fixed. In fact, I think
trying to go back to being as good as new can be a source of wasted effort and
frustration. You’ll never be “good as new” in this life. One of my favorite
authors, Brennan Manning, puts
it this way - “God loves you unconditionally, as you are and not as you
should be, because nobody is as they should be.”
In Psalms 34:18,
we are given these words of comfort, of encouragement.
“The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those
who are crushed in spirit.” We can find safe haven in His love, knowing that He
accepts us, and will work to bring about healing, if we only let Him.
In ancient Roman days, craftsmen used to boast about how
fine their work in wood was. In order to fool people into thinking the material
was top notch, they would coat the wood with wax, which would fill in any
imperfections. The word for wax was “cere”. Customers would look over the
products, then ask if the wood was without wax, the word for without being “Sine”.
If the craftsman told the truth when he assured the work was sine cere –
without wax- he gained the reputation of being honest and worthy of trust. In other
words, he was sincere. This is where we get that word, from this practice, and
I think it is what God looks for when we sees us. Are we sincere, are we
without wax, are we without filler? Do we show ourselves, giving ourselves to Him,
imperfections and all, broken people who offer the best we have?
Consider this point. When Christ greets you in the next
life, He won’t be looking for your rewards and medals. He’ll be more interested
in your scars. They serve as
reminders of what has hurt us, what has caused doubt, what has made us feel
unworthy. But, they also tell of the healing found in the arms of our Savior,
who fully understands what it means to be broken.
It’s okay to be broken.
