I’ve been broken. In so many different ways.
Broken by how I don’t fit in.
Broken because of my failure and my sin.
Broken because of the hurt I’ve caused.
And broken because of my guilt and shame.
Brokenness shatters our heart into fragments. We’re ruptured and torn and not in working order. We function, but only on the surface. Because deep inside, our fractured pieces are sharp, and we wince every now and again as their jagged edges poke into the reality of who we are trying to be.
We settle for a less-than life, convinced those sharp pieces are remnants of situations gone by that can never be redeemed. We believe the lie that we’re forever disabled by the pain, and suppress the hope of ever being made whole.
And to be honest, it’s not that we don’t want to be whole. We do. We really do. It’s just that these levels of brokenness are so deep, we don’t want to revisit the pieces, because we’d have to remember.
We’d have to go back and gather each piece, and feel every jagged and sharp edge again. And we know what would happen if we did that. We’d be cut open again and we’d bleed–bleed for our innocence or bleed for our failure or bleed for all the ways it could have been and should have been different.
But sometimes being rebroken is the only way to be made whole.
Instead of being willing to be mended, we tolerate the jabs from the broken pieces deep inside. At least their intermittent jabs feel survivable, much more than handling every jagged edge all over again. We fear the pain and hemorrhaging it would bring would be fatal.
But we have a Savior who was broken for our brokenness. He took it all upon His shoulders and hemorrhaged in our place. He felt the piercing of our shattered and jagged pieces and He suffered and died in our place.
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)
Oh dear friend. He did it all. He bore the pain of the entire world–for you and for me.
He took our brokenness–all that had been, and all that would ever be, and on that Good Friday He rebroke on our behalf, so that we could be made whole.
Won’t you reach way down into that deep place in your heart where those sharp pieces are, and give them to Him today? You don’t have to handle them. They don’t have to jab and poke you anymore.
He wants to mend you. He wants to heal you. He wants to make you whole.
The actions of His love make it so.
Our Savior, bruised and broken for each and every one of us…
Oh what a Savior.
Truly truly I say to you, that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned to joy. John 16:20 (NASB)
I’m praying for you today … that your brokenness would be made whole in Him. May you know how very much you are loved.
Have you been broken?
How has Jesus made you whole?
I’m joining Lisa-Jo, over at her site today, to take five minutes and just write without worrying if it’s just right or not. The challenge is to write for 5 minutes (20 minutes today) … flat with no editing, tweaking or self critiquing, with the prompt she gives. And today, her prompt:
Broken…
Hi Jacque, Very nice thoughts. I especially like “Instead of being willing to be mended, we tolerate the jabs from the
broken pieces deep inside. At least their intermittent jabs feel
survivable, much more than handling every jagged edge all over again.”
Sometimes healing is hard work.
Laura Hedgecock
http://www.TreasureChestofMemories.com
http://www.twitter.com/LauraLHedgecock
Jacque, this is one of the best posts I have read on this. You describe the inner struggle, pain, and turmoil. But even more, you point to Christ as the solution, not ourselves and not our efforts.
So, so good. Thank you, from a another broken sinner.
Jacque…thank you for praying…
What a beautiful post 🙂 Visiting from Five Minute Friday..thank you for sharing these wonderful words (and I had to laugh at your edits to the FMF “rules”…love that…)
Yes, healing IS often hard work…work made lighter by our sweet Savior who, with His love, mends us so that we can be whole.
Yes. It IS all Him. Such kind heart-blessing words…thank you so much.
Oh and I am Carol. I am. You are so very loved!
Ha Ha! Yes! My “rules”…It is always such a struggle for me. I need time meditate and ruminate on the word…time to pre write in my mind, and even then, my fingers can’t get it out as beautifully as many of you in one single pass. I trip and stumble all over myself. And yet I still want to be part of this wonderful community … Hoping my honesty lets me off the hook to still write with you all and that Lisa-Jo understands 🙂 So blessed by you and your #incouragers leadership. Happy Easter 🙂
You are totally off the hook & your voice is such a wonderful addition to this community 🙂 Whether you write it in 5 minutes or 30, your words bless.
Thank you for this beautiful post. I read it earlier today and have reread it just now. The whole entire thing spoke to my heart and soul. This one thing is what really struck me – “Won’t you reach way down into that deep place in your heart where those
sharp pieces are, and give them to Him today? You don’t have to handle
them. They don’t have to jab and poke you anymore.” I don’t have to handle them? I can just give them to Jesus and He’ll take them? Oh my! I’ve been walking with Jesus for many years and there’s just something about the way you worded this that made it fresh and new to me. That plus the fact that I’ve recently admitted to myself that I really do have some broken places {and boy are they sharp} in my life. So I’m gonna go now…. get on my knees and give Him those sharp pieces. Thank you again and God bless you.
Oh Debbie, praying with you that He’ll take them and smooth out the jagged edges and round the corners so that while they’re still a part of who you are, and while those scars will empower you to be used by Him, they’ll no longer jab and hurt, but move and bless, as He redeems each and every one and uses them for good somehow. Your words blessed me so much today. Thank you…