Tag: Brokenness

From Broken to Breakthrough… and the Beauty in the Between

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Have you ever felt broken?

If I’m keeping it real, I’ll tell you that right now I feel like a clay pot that was hurled down a flight of stairs, or a china plate that was unceremoniously dropped.

The Christian community has started talking more about brokenness, and God’s purpose for our brokenness- which is wonderful. Churches are embracing the truth that we’re all broken and we all need Jesus. The phrase “beautifully broken” has even worked its way into “Christianese.”

 

  

 

But can I just tell you?

When I feel broken I feel the opposite of beautiful. I’m sure I don’t look beautiful either, sporting my ugly cry and my resting pout face.

Don’t get me wrong- I get the concept of beautifully broken, and most of the time I embrace that with all my mind and all my heart. But other times…

 

 

 

Sometimes brokenness comes upon us suddenly.

When we receive an unexpected, but dreaded, phone call or news from the doctor

When we find ourselves in a situation where we just don’t know what to do.

When people and relationships fail us

Has this ever happened to you?

 

Sometimes brokenness is our constant companion.

When we are grieving the loss of a loved one

When expectations are not reality

When it seems we just can’t let go of a deep heart wound.

 

Living with chronic illness is a constant reminder that my body is broken. Sometimes the reality of my pain and my limitations breaks my spirit too. Have you been there? Are you there now?

 

  

 

The only thing I can do when I reach maximum brokenness is remind myself of Psalm 34:18 and personalize it as I claim its promise:

The Lord is near to Pamela, the broken-hearted, and saves you, Pamela when you feel crushed in Spirit.

Have you ever done that? Taken a passage of scripture and personalized it? Read it as if God wrote it just for you? Because guess what? He did!

God wrote those verses just for you. He knew exactly when and how you would need to hear them when he inspired David or Isaiah or John or one of the other biblical authors to write it.

 

Isaiah 57:15 says: “A Message from God, whose name is Holy:

‘I live in the high and holy places,
    but also with the low-spirited, the spirit-crushed,
And what I do is put new spirit in them,
    get them up and on their feet again.’

Verses 18 & 19 bring me even more hope:  

 ‘I decided to heal her, lead her, and comfort her,
    creating a new language of praise for the mourners.
Peace to the far-off, peace to the near-at-hand,’ says God—
    ‘and yes, I will heal them.’”

That, my friends is breakthrough!

 

  

 

If  you grasp these verses,

make them your own,

speak them as a declaration over your brokenness

and the things that make you feel broken,

then breakthrough is yours!

 

You may say, “but I don’t feel breakthrough. I don’t feel like an overcomer.”

And I would say, “Just keep declaring it!” There is divine power in the spoken word. 

This is more than a pep talk or a self-help daily affirmation.

This is speaking the very words of God over your life!

 

Hebrews 4:12-13 in The Message paraphrase tells us that

“His powerful Word is… cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it- no matter what.”

Another translation of Hebrews 4:12 says that God’s word is living and active.

 

  

 

So there’s your secret- and the Beauty in the Between- between the brokenness and the breakthrough.

Cry out to the Most High God, the God who is with us when we are our most broken-hearted and spirit-crushed. And then, with that same mouth, declare His promises from His word and make them your own. You can even pray that way:

 

God, thank you that you are close to me, (your name), when I feel low-spirited and spirit-crushed. I ask you to put a new spirit in me. Help me, (your name), to get up on my feet again. Heal me, Lord. Lead me and comfort me. I, (your name), eagerly await a new language of praise in my mouth. I, (your name), stand with you and declare peace over my life and over my circumstances.    

 

He will hear that prayer! Psalm 51:17 tells us that God will not despise a broken and repentant heart. So no matter what we’ve done, or what’s been done to us, the Lord leans down from Heaven to hear our prayers (Psalm 116:2 NLT). When we pray with a broken and repentant heart, asking the Lord to give us a new spirit and a new language of praise- now that’s a powerful prayer for breakthrough!

From Caution to Comfort … and the Beauty in the Between

pjt.psalm71.14@gmail.com

So, the first thing you’re going to learn about me is that I am real. I’m not afraid to be transparent, to share my brokenness and my struggles. I used to worry that other “more holy” women would judge me if I were real. Then I got over it- delivered! Even so, I experienced this again recently and it really messed with my self esteem and even my “God esteem-” you know, my concept of who I am in Christ- for a short time. Then I was reminded (and when I say reminded I mean, the Lord lovingly smacked me upside the head) of these verses:

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise to the God of All Comfort. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:2-4 NIV

The word comfort appears in those three verses 5 times! Do you think that’s a hint about the prominent place it holds in our Father’s heart? I can only believe that as Christians, comforting others is way more important, and more noble and courageous, than trying to fool the world into thinking that we have it all together- that we never struggle with sin or pain. Because guess what? We’re not fooling anyone!

If we all walk around acting like we’re super-spiritual, struggle-free wonder women- well first of all we’re lying because none of us are Jesus- but also we are missing out on the most amazing ministry opportunities! I don’t want anything to keep me from the blessings that come when I authentically extend grace to others. I especially don’t want fear of judgment to keep me from the purpose God has ordained for my pain and my brokenness. Can’t you just imagine the enemy grinning and rubbing his hands together every time fear keeps us from sharing our struggles and the comfort we’ve received from Jesus?

Read the first line of that passage- GRACE and PEACE to you! The judgment we fear, whether real or perceived, has no power over us! Anyone who is not extending grace and peace to you is not a messenger from “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!” Now I’m not dismissing the merit of a well-timed word of Christian exhortation. I’m very thankful for friends who have warranted a place in my life to speak the truth in love. Because perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). LOVE (grace and peace) is the antidote to fear.

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about the awesome ministry to which we are called in this passage. The Message paraphrase says it like this:

“He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us.”

I met a woman recently who had an amazing testimony. God had been her refuge through unspeakable tragedy, and yet, even as she opened up just a bit, she told me she was afraid to share her story with others. “Why?” I asked incredulously, thinking of all the women who needed to hear just such an encouraging word. She gave a few reasons: she was afraid she would get too emotional; she was afraid people wouldn’t be able to grasp the full depth of her pain; she was afraid people would pity her, or perhaps tell her she should have been a stronger Christian through it all. As she spoke, my heart went out to her. I imagined her in this prison of “what-ifs,” all of which were keeping her from God-ordained ministry and from fully experiencing the redemption of her experiences as she used them to bring comfort to others.

What about you, my friend? The beauty in the between here is actually more of a lasting beauty that continues to grow as we mature in the Lord, as time mellows our memories and as we comfort and come alongside many others. Don’t let anyone or anything steal the purpose from your pain, the blessing of your brokenness or the testimony in your troubles. Revelations 12:11 tells us that we triumph over the enemy by the blood of Jesus and the words of our testimony. What do you need to overcome today? And then, how can you help others to overcome and find the comfort you have found?

Lord Jesus, you know our deepest pain, the inner brokenness that no one sees. Give us the courage to be real- to walk in transparency and humility instead of pretense and pride. Help us to trust You with our hurts, our fears, our life experiences that have been less than victorious; for it’s only when we trust You with the opportunity and the outcome that we take ourselves out of the way of Your purpose. May our pain never be wasted; empower us with boldness when it’s time to offer comfort to others. May we always be Your agents of grace and peace. Amen.