Never let them see you sweat.
Don’t let them see you down.
Put your best face on.
Smile through your tears and laugh through your pain.
The world says brokenness is imperfection but God sees it as an opportunity to present you whole and blameless.
World sees brokenness as weak but God sees it as opportunity to show Himself strong in and through you.
And I was one of those people who accepted the lie that brokenness was a sign of weakness. Inasmuch as I reject so many of the world’s lies, this was one that crept in and intricately wove itself into the fibers of my believing.
Until….
Until I was so heavy and so broken that I couldn’t hide it. The weight was so oppressive I could no longer carry it. And the Lord made a way for me to unburden myself. He sent a sweet gentle friend, whose sensitivity and perceptiveness caught wind of my heaviness and she extended to me God’s invitation to lay my burdens at His feet. And while it was extremely embarrassing, even torturous for this prideful woman to admit I was a broken mess, it was one of the BEST things I’ve ever done. There is liberty in brokenness.
[bctt tweet=”Brokenness gives you a divine appointment with God.”]
For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite. Isaiah 57:15
Kintsugi is a Japanese art form ALL about broken pieces. Kintsugi, a practice dating back to the 15th century, is a technique for repairing broken pottery. The word means “golden joinery”. The process uses lacquer and real gold powder to fill in the cracks. The intricacy of the work involved, the precious materials used for the process and the skill of the repairers’ hand, results in a mended work that is more valuable than the original product.
And this is what God wants to do for me and for YOU. When I’m trying to hold the pieces of my life together, it’s a loosely held bundle of shards at best but when I place the shards in the Potter’s hands, He arranges, cements and then presents me even more beautiful than before.
My sweet friend and fellow blogger, Kelly Balarie writes many many words of grace that resonate deeply with me. And these words, which speak right to being broken, were no exception. In her post God’s Love Letter for You she writes, “Don’t fear my process of remake, but open yourself up to it. Let love sink in – into the cracks, into the chaffed edges and into the unseen – so I can revive every cell you believe is of disrepair. I promise, I work wonders for beauty.”
I see many standing in line to receive a blessing. Many Christians, myself included raise our hands saying “Over here. Pick me, pick me” for assignments we deem exotic, cool, or doable. But who’s running to sign up for the Brokenness Club? Who’s volunteering saying, “Break Me Lord!”
Nellie Bly, an investigative journalist, did just that but for different reasons. In 1887 she wanted to uncover the horrors taking place at an asylum and the only way to get the real story was to become broken, to act as if insane and have herself committed to the asylum. And she did just that. She was able to convince a judge and doctors that she was indeed broken. She did this for the greater good of the victims of this asylum. Her reporting resulted in widespread changes in that asylum and in the field of mental health.
Are you willing to be broken to possibly bring healing to another?
I pray we begin to appreciate and value, as in Kintsugi, the greater worth in the broken vessel that has been mended directly by the Potter’s hand.
In her book Daring Greatly, Dr. Brene Brown says, “To claim the truths about who we are, where we come from, what we believe, and the very imperfect nature of our lives, we have to be willing to give ourselves a break and appreciate the beauty of our cracks or imperfections.” Isn’t that good? And I just love the pun.
Brokenness Delivers Us From:
~Pride
~Shame
~Insecurity
~Fake Happy
~Crutches
Brokenness Instills Us With:
~Humility
~Vulnerability
~Healing
~True Security
~Joy
~Freedom
~Character
[bctt tweet=”Brokenness says I am nothing and can do nothing apart from Jesus.”]
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18
The more broken we are, the more space we create for our inner man to break forth and be released. For more on the release of the spirit, THIS POST is a must read.
Find the rest of Kelly’s beautiful post HERE.
As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!
Happy to connect with these friends sharing the Good News Mommy Moments, #LifeGivingLinkup, Purposeful Faith, Grace & Truth
