Brokenness

I walked into the fitness center, reached for the remote control to the television and found it broken. Frustration gripped me. I want whatever is broken repaired immediately -- broken arms, broken electronics, and even broken emotions. How unrealistic! Certainly not all that is broken can be fixed quickly.

However, not everything broken is bad:

• Breaking the seal on packaged food can make a quick meal.
• Having to tear the protective wrap of sterile medical products insures our safety.
• Grinding (breaking and crushing) specific plants and spices releases fragrances otherwise locked inside.

Spiritual brokenness is yet another area to consider. Do I run away from God when He desires to break the seal on my pride and grind the hard shell of my selfishness? Do I avoid the truths about myself that would yield a contrite spirit?

The prophet Isaiah expresses God's desire for us. "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite (broken) in spirit and trembles at my word." (Isaiah 66:2 NIV)

God does not want us crushed (Proverbs 18:14), but often the vehicle he uses - humility and brokenness - allows us:

• To submit more willingly to the great purposes God has for us.
• To look more tenderly upon the hurts of others.
• To embrace brokenness more freely - that we might take one step closer in understanding the amazing work accomplished on the cross for us.

Let us together, this week, consider the issue of brokenness. . . . . . . . . . . . and not run away.

Sharing the journey with you,