why it is good to be broken

Everyone I know is broken.

It is not a bad thing to be, and that is why I sort of tilt my head in disagreement when I read or hear someone say, "I am not broken" or " I will not be broken" because haven't we all been crushed in one way or another?

I think it is better to say, "Look at me...really look at me...I am broken. But thanks be to God, I am still standing." Because when things break open, it makes a way for beauty to flow in; It leaves a raw open space for the Holy Spirit to come to us, to heal us, to move us forward.

Thanks be to God, who was crushed for our sins, who endured our sufferings. (Isaiah 53:4)

And I suppose then, it is not a matter of are we broken, but more so a matter of, yes, we are broken...and now what? What do we do...how do we do ....when it hurts to just breathe?

Breaks hurt, no matter what, and so this pain and discomfort is going to be unavoidable. And the thing is, if our God is still good and our God is faithful (and He is) He is not going to waste this pain...He will use it. And so how will you choose to steward your pain? That's the question you need to ask.

This is hard to swallow and follow in a world that offers us immeasurable ways to numb ourselves from feeling real life. We have been fooled into thinking being happy means feeling good, when in truth, it is navigating through the painful that gives birth to real joy. When we avoid being broken, we live artificially, because the reality is, the break is still there...we have just tried to fix it with what is temporary, and what will probably make it worse in the long run. Meanwhile, we have this God, this healer, who is waiting for our invitation to allow Him into our pain; He is not a quick fix, He is the real deal, and He wants us to use this season to glorify Him.

But do we?

It is so much easier to dismiss this "all good God" the moment things do not go our way, the very second we go, "Whoa, hold the phone there, partner...I sooooo did not sign up for this!" Staying a true witness during a crap storm requires more than being "a good person" or "spiritual", and so I highly encourage you, before your own crap hits the fan (because if it hasn't, it will) to get to know your God. Because earth is not your home. Not mine either. And are you prepared to meet God today? Because I am not.

The scary thing about allowing pain to overwhelm us is that we can get so angry and we can grow so bitter and we can slip so deep into sorrow, that we leave room for the devil. THIS is where he loves us to be. When we close the door to Christ and His light, we allow darkness and lies to move in.

But we have another choice.

We can cry out to God in the midst of our deepest pain and beg Him to show up and walk this road with us. We can rely on His Word and soak up His truth and stand on solid ground. We can do this you know...we can fall to our knees in the middle of the kitchen and cry out loud, and He does not think we look foolish (though if your front door is left open, the neighbors might) and He will hear you.

And He always shows up.

In huge ways.

Bigger than you could ever imagine.

Because He is a God of abundance.

If you are broken, or someone you love is broken, remember that God is still good, and your pain will not be wasted. Feel the break, open yourself up, and allow Him in.

Comfortable never brought me closer to God. But brokenness has. And what a precious gift to be given- to know that He trusts me enough to put me in hard places; loves me enough to break me over and over again.