Brokenness is the vessel that transports us to wholeness. Brokenness is also the means by which we are able to bless others. Two very difficult quotes I've wrestled with are the following, A.W. Tozer "It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply." and Alan Redpath wrote, "When God wants to do an impossible task, He takes an impossible individual--and crushes him."Funny, it reminds me of playing with Legos as a kid. I'd spend so much time building something really amazing (in my mind anyway) and my brother or another kid in school would come along and knock it over. All my hard work. You're left with a broken mess of parts and have to rebuild with what you've got left. Life's like that isn't it? Sometimes you think you've built an empire, and the whole thing comes crashing down. If our priorities, thoughts, passions and direction do not recognize God as the source of our life, it is just a matter of time before we are wrecked. Being wrecked is a sweet place to be. It's only here in this place where our insides feel shattered, we feel cut off, we feel loss and pain. We are mourning the illusion of control we once had and maybe for the first time in our lives, we realize we aren't in control. We need help. We need the God of the Universe to step in and help us because it is in those dark moments when we first confess we cannot help ourselves. Thankfully He prefers to use broken people to help reach others. As Tozer also said, "Beware of any Christian leader who does not walk with a limp." You see, God saves us from ourselves. He saves us from our selfish nature that would wreck our lives anyway. The point of our brokenness is to draw us to Him. After all, it's why He came--to bind up the brokenhearted and bind up our wounds. He is our healer. It says in Isaiah 42:3, "He shall not break even a bruised reed, nor snuff out even a smoldering wick. He shall bring forth the true way." Our brokenness is when we are being refined and it gives us a story. By our testimony, we encourage others. He breaks us gently so we are reminded of who He is. He comes near to the brokenhearted. He sits with us and nurses our wounds. He loves us so much He meets us where we are and thankfully doesn't leave us there.
"Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to
the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts
and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds
on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love,
you'll have it forever, real and eternal."
John 12:24
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