Archive for brokenness
The Unexpected Gift of Brokenness
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Most churches are guilty of selling Christianity as a pain-free existence. We might not come out and say it, but the message oftentimes is, ‘Accept Christ and all your problems will disappear.’ Believers later find themselves disillusioned when after following Christ and finding that life is difficult. Some throw in the proverbial towel and try to walk away from anything and everything that smacks of God. Others get stuck in the process and become bitter yet they’re still present in body. And yet, there are those who embrace, with varying amounts of struggle, the process of becoming conformed to Christ’s death (Philippians 3:10).
In much the same way that the sacrificial animals of the Old Testament days did not go willingly to the altar, most of us go kicking and screaming to the altar of the death of our own flesh. We smell death in the air and we RESIST.
Paul challenged us in Phil. 3 that in order to know Christ and the power of his resurrection, we also must know the fellowship of his sufferings and be conformed to his death. Wow, we think, “Did I really sign-up for that? I didn’t see that in the fine print. Is there an opt-out?”
This fellowship of his suffering and conformity to his death is the process of brokenness. The taming of the human soul.
An unbroken person is unable to live in the mysteries of God. Unwilling to accept the difficult challenges. Endlessly stuck in the questioning process (which is good and acceptable in its right place but must eventually be laid on the altar, too.)
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What Does It Mean to Have Your Soul Restored? (pt. 3)
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When I meditate on this topic, I have the feeling that this will be a long train running. Although my thoughts may be jumping around like popcorn popping, I hope and trust that when the popping stops, it will all fit.
One of the thoughts I have proposed in these blogs is that in the process of God restoring our souls, He uses difficult seasons of our lives and dark places like the ‘valley of the shadow of death’ and ‘the presence of our enemies’.
While I personally hate these dark places and resist them, God is not afraid of them. In fact, He is there with His rod and His staff to comfort me and guide me through them.
What happens during dark seasons that invites us into a deeper place of soul restoration?
I have found in my own life that difficulty has the potential, if I will but embrace it, to make me aware. Mindful. Conscious. Alert.
Job, a man who was declared by God Himself, to be His servant, with a heart like no one else alive on the earth at the time, blameless, upright, one who feared God and resisted evil, lived through a valley so dark that it leaves us struggling to explain God. One read through the book of Job either leads us to throw our Bible across the room or scramble to come up with a more palatable explanation of God’s ways than are evidenced in Job’s life.
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Getting to the Heart of Things
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A most terrifying and at the same time, comforting, thought is that Jesus knows our hearts. When we face the truth about our own heart, we find two things. We find that, at times, our heart is desperately wicked, strays from God, and seeks our own way. Concurrently, we find that our heart is good and has been changed by God Himself.
We have two natures. The Scripture refers to this as the old nature and the new nature. Our journey with Christ invites us, with the Spirit’s help, to crucify the old nature and its desires and strengthen and feed the new nature.
This journey into our own hearts is initiated by God. I have found that as I know more and more about the truth of my own heart and am able to name my own sin, struggles, and woundedness, I am able to find more of God’s heart. In other words, the journey to know my true heart leads me deeper into knowing God’s heart and vice versa.
In John 21, we find an exchange between Jesus and Peter which has been the topic of many sermons, Bible lessons, and discussions. I’ve been meditating on this passage since last night. This morning, I kept feeling challenged by God that there was much more there than I’d seen before. I invited His Spirit to speak, to teach me, to open my eyes.
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The Crucible of Deep Disappointment
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On December 4, 2010, my husband and I watched Auburn play South Carolina in the college football SEC championship game. Since I am a huge University of Alabama fan, just watching the game was a reminder of my deep disappointment that Bama was not playing instead of Auburn. However, after touching base with my personal counselor and getting some therapy, I was able to work through my feelings and watch the game anyway (just kidding!). Enjoy this post? Share it with your friends by clicking the Facebook LIKE button..
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Treasure Within
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I recently cited the following quote on my Facebook status: Those who love you are not fooled by mistakes you have made or dark images you hold about yourself. They remember your beauty when you feel ugly; your wholeness when you are broken; your innocence when you feel guilty; your purpose when you are confused.
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