Poll Results Are In

and The Value of Brokeness

The Value of Brokenness

Shallow lines marked half-moons at the edges of my mouth, and the first shades of gray had begun threading themselves through my hair when I encountered soul-rocking, spirit-deep pain. Not one area of my life remained untouched.

Emotionally? I was immersed in depression, anxiety, and hopelessness. Relationally? My marriage and children seemed irreparable. Spiritually? My faith teetered haphazardly on the corners of anger and bitterness.

Weren’t women who loved God supposed to live quiet, uncomplicated lives by the time they’d exhaled over forty shimmering candles? I was as broken as I’d ever been, but I couldn’t avoid reality with childlike innocence or avoidance as I’d done before.

The person I’d been shattered into a thousand pieces—like my grandmother’s fine china when the buffet’s contents tumbled onto the dining room floor. Shards of cream and pink flowers scattered; a haphazard array of brokenness.

An experience most of us has had at one time or another, brokenness comes in all shapes and forms.

Today, some of you may be wrestling with the brokenness of relationships. Perhaps you weren’t loved well as a child, you’ve been betrayed by a dear friend, or the divorce papers on the table mock the hope you embraced in your youth.

Others might be struggling with the on-going, relentless pain of mental illness, grief, or disease. The foot you place on the floor each morning feels almost as forced as the prayers catching in your throat.

Or, perhaps, the brokenness that burdens you was borne from lies you’ve believed about yourself. Maybe you’ve adopted an I’ll-prove-I’m-worth-saving approach to God, attempting to show Him you deserve His love only to realize striving and imperfection have brought you to your knees.

Brokenness is painful. We balk at its presence and fervently pray God will take it from us. Sometimes He does. But even if He doesn’t, there is nothing beyond the power of the Master.

Like a Kintsugi craftsman mending the shattered remains of a Japanese tea bowl with lines of gold dust and resin, the One who restores all things bends intimately over His beloved treasure. Gently, He refashions what was into something new—a living, breathing representation of hope marked by old scars and transformed by grace.

The mending takes time and patience as the artist touches first one sharp edge to another, softening hard places with His healing touch and fitting disjointed, incongruent  pieces into one complete work bearing a mark of newness despite evidence of struggle. Hardship. Life.

Christ, too, knew brokenness. A “man of sorrows”, Jesus was betrayed by friends and family, suffered abuse at the hands of jealous men, and foretold His own suffering with the words, “This is My body which is broken for you.” (1 Corinthians 11:24)

He accepted brokenness on our behalf.

Because of Christ’s willingness to bear the weight of sin and shame? Because His hands were pierced with nails? Because He experienced death and resurrection? Our brokenness is subject to Him.

While the pain and suffering of living this side of heaven sometimes seems overwhelming, its value is the testimony of hope the Master reveals in and through His work in our hearts; threads of His faithfulness shining bright in an the believer’s life.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. Psalm 51:17 NASB

Encouraging Words From Other Writers

Learning to Love the Face You’ve Been Given by

Michele Morin

.

Emily Copeland

offers a short read entitled For the Weary.

From Broken to Beautiful with

Miri Morgan

.

What Your Vote Revealed (and a Follow-Up)

In response to “If I launched an abbreviated podcast in which I review Christian mystery and suspense novels and the occasional nonfiction book or children's book, would you tune in?” you said,

• Tell me all about the books! 35%

• Depends on my mood. 30%

• Meh--not my thing. 35%

If you hadn’t already guessed, my heart is to meet your needs whether through writing or audio. Would you take a moment and share your thoughts about a couple of the other podcast ideas spinning around in my head?

A Behind the Scenes Unboxing

Lighthouse Bible Study’s shares about this new anthology—How can we overcome temptation and not go back to old ways?

Defenses. That’s what we need when temptation threatens to overwhelm us. We know that if we give in, something will be lost, someone will be harmed, or our usefulness will in some way be diminished.

But the strength of temptation can be formidable at times. We do what we know to do, and still it’s not enough. We need, we crave, a stronger defense system to help us.

Sustaining Life’s Victories is a collection of proven strategies, helpful reminders, and welcome resources to help us overcome temptation, no matter how cunning, camouflaged, or powerful it is. The messages in this book remind us of the formidable defenses that God has given us—defenses that never lose their effectiveness or have to be replaced.

Using the Scriptures, stories, and strategies in this book, build for yourself a series of fortifications that will defeat temptation and sustain your victories. This compilation, written by thirty-one authors, can be used for personal study or group discussion. A short leader guide is provided.

More information provided on Amazon.

Just for You! Freebies and Giveaways

Enjoy these mystery, suspense, and who-done-it downloadables available here or great children’s books here. I recommend Big Prayers for Little People (my book) or David the Great King.

If I can pray for you, please reply to this email and let me know. I would be honored to lift you up before the throne.

Peace and grace,

Tammy