What is it really? Why is it important? How to know if you are broken?

 

 

 

If I were to ask you to define brokenness, what would you tell me? Would you say; it is when your heart is crushed beneath a load it can’t handle? A injury so deep it cannot be cured? A rip in the fabric of your heart that cannot be mended?

 

Have you considered that Jesus was all these things and more for you and me? That He chose the wounded, torn fabric in His heart so that He could feel your pain?

 

These are deep questions, meant to stir you to thinking.

 

What is Brokenness?

 

There are so many kinds of brokenness I could do a 1,000,000,000 page blog and only scratch the very edge of the surface. People are broken and scarred beyond the ability of words to describe. Lives are torn open and families crushed beneath enduring weights of grief and despair. So much so, that there are suicides and murder in abundance because people can’t carry the load placed upon their feeble shoulders.

 

The tragedy of it all, the horror of it all is that “we” the church have the answer. It is found within our own brokenness. That’s what I want to talk about, that’s what I want you to take from this post.

 

 

I believe this to be where we most often err. We are so “Me” consumed that we side with the idea that we are the one that is crushed beyond repair. We identify with the person who has been broken by some other means outside of our ability to control. We wait for that someone, anyone to show up and fix it. We chase prophesies and words of knowledge and yet we find no fulfillment in them because they are temporary fixes to internal problems.

 

When you are broken, you have no need of flowery words, meaningless hugs or flattery meant to cheer you in the moment. No matter how sincere someone may be, what you really want, what you really crave is someone down there on the floor with you, crying out to God for help. Someone so moved with compassion that they take your grief as their own.

 

To be that to someone, you must go through crushing brokenness of your own. Meaning that you can only move with compassion when you have gone through the fiery furnace of affliction only to land in the pride crushing room of trials and tribulations.

 

It is in this time that you are drained of all that you are, and you are purified for God’s Glory. Matthew 9:36 Jesus was moved with compassion. Look up that word compassion and you will see that He had gnawing in the pit of his gut, a deep yearning of bowel moving sympathy.

 

I’ve heard people say “Oh, God broke me last night and let me tell you, whew that was hard!” Hmmmm,

 

It’s been my experience when God breaks you, you don’t get up off the floor doing a happy dance. When you really get a God view of yourself, it leaves you with bile in your gut, and knee trembling shakes.

 

Let me say this, God does not require in us brokenness because He enjoys us weeping on the floor. He requires brokenness in us so that He can use us completely for His Glory in the lives of those around us.

 

When is the last time you moved with compassion over someone for their state of sinfulness. Or, are you one of those who like to quote allot of scripture about how to repent but never reach down and actually try to lift others up out of it? If so, you have not been broken before the Lord. You have forgotten the redemption you found in Christ and could care less about their eternity.

 

You say, oh that’s not true, I care I just can’t do all that I’m scared. Baloney, if you thought one of your children were drowning and you couldn’t swim, it would not be a deterrent to you jumping in the water after them. Even if it killed you, you would do your very best to save them. This is the compassion Jesus had for you.

 

 If so, you have not reached that place of brokenness. Do you think a coat that had no seam in it was in any way comparable to what Jesus took off to come here for you and for me? Yet He did, and HE laid it down willingly. We could care less if the homeless live or die, much less give them our coat. We pass them by like they don’t exist, thinking if we hurry then maybe our conscience won’t catch up.

 

I want to suggest something and I want you to really think about it. Seriously meditate on this.

 

Jesus came and He died for us, I would say that none of us will dispute that fact. We readily accept that and then we move on.

 

Has anyone considered the fact that every single thing Christ did was for someone else rather than Himself? On the surface you go well, yea… Dig down deeper. This Holy God took on human flesh and He became a man with like passion, yet he did not sin? He did not gripe, He did not murmur nor complain. We need to stop and really dwell on the humanity of Christ, compare it to yourself and then really try to think of one time Christ prayed for himself, worried about Himself, asked for help for Himself? I dare say you will not find it one single time, because the entire time He lived in the flesh of man, He never once considered Himself.

 

Don’t kid yourself into believing that Jesus had it made while here in the flesh, the scripture say he was tempted in all things, just like we are, yet without sin. He was hungry, He was cold, He didn’t have a bed most of the time. He was accepted only to be rejected when something didn’t set well with someone. Imagine the crowd of people wanting to be His friend?  Not because of any love for Him, rather because, hey, who doesn’t want to hang out with someone who can heal lepers, raised dead men up and walk on water? We see it evident today and these people followers today are not seeing the true Christ 90% of the time.

 

Just as He did on the Cross, His entire life was a broken place of service for you and for me. He chose to inhabit humanity with all it’s frailties and He did it without complaint. He moved with compassion knowing exactly and perfectly what we suffer.

 

When is the last time you or I had that same compassion for others, setting aside completely our own lives, to give? I can tell you honestly, it has not been much or often that I have. It is easier for me to say a prayer, throw a little change in the bucket and walk away feeling pretty good about myself.

 

Do you know why Jesus did all of that? One, because of love and two, because we are eternal beings created in His image. We have a destination one way or the other. He looked at people with their eternity in mind.

 

Those who reject Him will face eternity apart from God in eternal torment forever. Luke 12:5

 

I believe this is the reason for Jesus’ brokenness, not only for those who were bruised and torn, but a genuine gut wrenching sorrow for those who would reject Him.

 

Do you have the gut wrenching sorrow for people whose lives are lost and heading for eternal hell?

 

Have you mourned over a son or daughter lately? How about a aunt or uncle, maybe a mom or dad, maybe a grandmother or grandfather?

 

Let’s get a little more personal; when is the last time you mourned over a politician or lawyer. Maybe a teacher, a principle, a bully, a murderer, a molester or thief.

 

See, we don’t want to consider them, shhh, don’t say that to loud.

 

 

Are you above them because you haven’t “committed their particular outward sins?” Or because, “you don’t live a life in the public eye?”

 

What about the murder in your heart for someone; an ex wife or husband who took everything you owned and worked hard for, the lawyer who dropped you after they took a huge fee, teachers who lie to you and mark your grades lower than you think you deserve, so you say something false that will get them fired, bullies who make your life a nightmare and you plot revenge until your so consumed with hate you find it difficult to think of anything else.

 

All the while all these “people” hang in the balance of eternity and not one time do we consider that. Not one time do we consider having compassion on them, turning the other cheek, loving them as Christ loved us.

Or do you care? Have you grown cold and immune to their cry now? If so, I pray for you that God will rattle your teeth a little bit. This is serious.

 

I know I want to be, as scary as it is. I want to be broken before this Savior who willingly allowed them to break Him, for me. Who lived a life of brokenness so that we could come with Him and be reunited with God.

 

Ask God to break your heart today. Don’t be scared and don’t hide from Him. This is the absolute best place you could ever be.

 

God will not despise you in the day of brokenness!

 

 

I’m hid with Christ!

Shawn