Not So Broken After All

We live in a broken world that is full of broken people. And what do we do with broken things? Well, we usually deem them as worthless and throw them away. Society has taught us that - Simply put, what's broken has no value. When you look at life that way, it's no surprise that this world is plagued with increasing suicide rates, depression, lack of self-worth, and people who get lost in the hopelessness of despair.

 

I was one of those broken people, who saw little 'ol broken me as trash to be thrown out with the rest of the garbage. See, the world taught me that. The world hurt me, cut me down, belittled me, abandoned me, and abused me. Yes, the world did that...a world that is filled with other broken people just like me.

 

I was convinced that I couldn't be loved, as I am sure many of you were too (and quite possibly still are). I just knew that if I let myself be seen, then surely those around me would discover how worthless I really was and they would toss me aside just like others have in my life.

 

That's the world's view of brokenness. And...it's a lie. Brokenness is real. Sure. But, it is the result of sin. So, does broken equate to worthless? No. Absolutely not. See, that's the lie. God has something very different to say about his beloved broken people than the world proclaims.

 

In fact, God loves His broken people so much that He sent his Son, who was without sin, to be broken so that we might be made whole. On the night before He died, Jesus broke the bread and said, “This is my body, which is broken for you.” Christ died so that we can live and through His death, he made it possible for broken, sinful people to be reconciled with God so that we can be healed. “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).

 

God draws us near to Him; He calls to us, longing for us to come to Him so He can heal us. Most of the time, however, we are so busy living life that we are unable to hear His call. We get distracted with the chaos and pressures of daily living – our families, our jobs, our own problems and unhappiness. Sometimes we must be broken before we realize our need. And our deepest need is to be reconciled to God. Then, and only then, can we be made whole "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5).

 

I am a thirty-two year old woman and I am at a place in my life that I never expected to be. See, I had a plan. My plan was to fall in love young, get married, have kids, buy a nice home, and live happily ever after. Sounds like the dream right? I was spot on too. I did all of that! Well, until I got to the "happily ever after" part. The trouble was, I defined what happily ever after looked like. It was my plan. Yet, God had a very different plan for my life. Like I said, sometimes we must be broken before we realize our need. My need wasn't for a happy marriage, a nice home, and a fairy tale ending. My need was for Christ.

 

A year ago, I made the decision to choose God's plan for my life and to stop foolishly trying to orchestrate my own life as if I actually had some level of control over it. Knowing that control and faith cannot peacefully coexist, I chose faith. Of course, like every baby Christian, I thought choosing Christ meant that all my troubles would disappear: My husband would repent for his abusive and adulterous behavior and my marriage would be reconciled, I could stay at home while he worked so I could have more babies and be the perfect mom, and life would all of a sudden make sense and be easier. As every baby Christian soon finds out, this is not how it works.

 

Nevertheless, I was committed to my choice no matter what and I soon found myself standing in the eye of a tornado as I watched my entire life be uprooted and cast away. The husband was gone. The love was not real. The dream home was sold. And I would only hear the sound of my children's laughter echoing throughout my house fifty percent of the time. Everything that I had defined as "happily ever after" was gone.

 

As the world's brokenness persistently tries to drain me, God continues to fill that empty space with His love and mercy. The more I walk in His will for my life, the more I find peace. I have found a new source for happiness. I found meaning to my life and although the world may deem me as broken, Christ shines brightly through every broken piece of me with His glorious light.