Thankful for Brokenness

Brokenness.

For many of us, that word describes not just a season in our lives, but a place of identity. This year, the year that none of us anticipated or likely could have imagined, has become a year when many have admitted their brokenness for the first time.

Lost jobs.

Changed churches.

Death and sickness.

Election division.

Racial unrest.

Chaos.

The list can go on and on. In some ways, we almost anticipate what may be added to that list each week. And while I can’t predict what those specific things might be, they are symptoms of the world in which we live.

We weren’t made for this broken world. We long for the way things could be, should be. For the things we have lost and the things that we didn’t realize we needed.

November starts a season when we typically reflect on thankfulness for all the blessings God has given us throughout the year. But this year, it seems like November is just getting in the way. We want 2020 to be over, so the promise of 2021 and the potential of getting back to normal can come quickly. 

The feeling that remains in the longing for something different can only be described as an ache. An ache for what was. An ache for what’s next. An ache for anything other than right now. Except right now is where we are.

There is something holy about right now. Something that allows us to experience Jesus differently than at any other time in our lives. The familiar patterns, timelines, expectations have given way to something different. For many of us, it has allowed us time to examine our hearts and our homes for things that we didn’t know were there.

For example, I found a special coffee mug this week in my collection of around 100. My husband gave the mug to me on our honeymoon. I love the over-sized mug, handcrafted in my favorite colors by a potter with a special story. But several years ago, the handle broke. So I pushed the mug to the back of the cupboard. Trying to get out the door with hot coffee in a mug without a handle doesn’t work well. The heat burns your hands. But now, working from home allows me time to sit with my cooling coffee. Pouring a fresh cup this week, I considered how thankful I am for this favorite broken mug. Because the handle is broken, I must hold it close with both hands. As I do, I feel the warmth of the coffee. In this season, the brokenness of the mug doesn’t seem to matter so much. What matters is that I can still fill it.

Our brokenness is much the same way. It may change how we look, different from others. It may change our function. It may keep us hidden in seasons when others are in the forefront. But our brokenness is also the very thing that keeps us close to Jesus when He uses us. Our purpose remains, to be filled and to be used.

As believers, we are called to love God and serve others. That can feel impossible when we are broken. But that is exactly the point. We can’t do this on our own. We never could. Only by understanding and admitting our complete dependency on Jesus can we become His vessels through which He pours His love onto those around us.

The ache we feel in this season is an ache that likely will remain this side of heaven because of our fallen world. But that ache drives us to Jesus. As we focus this month on thankfulness, even if it looks different, let’s be thankful that Jesus still desires to fill and use us.

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in distresses, in persecutions, in difficulties, in behalf of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong (II Corinthians 12:9-11 NASB).

Warner Christian Resources offers many products to help, uplift and guide us on our faith journeys through all seasons of life. Consider these resources as you strive to heal your brokenness, love God, and serve others.

Bind Up Your Broken Heart—When Others Fail Us, We Can Find Healing with the Lord by Timothy J. Clarke

Restored—Getting Back to Who You Were Meant to Be by Marty Grubbs

The Life-Changing Power of God’s Word—Studies in the Book of Romans by Ronald V. Duncan