"Brokenness is for a season, but lessons from it are for a lifetime." -Priscilla Shirer
Truth!
It is good to be reminded of God's abiding love in all seasons of life. He is with us on the mountaintops and in the valleys.
Who doesn't love the view from the mountain top when everything is in clear view?
Still, it is the broken seasons we often realize he is the glue that holds it all together. In time, we can often glimpse the greater purpose, but in the brokenness, we are hyper-focused on the discomfort.
When our children are little, they openly and honestly bring their brokenness to our laps for comfort. Sometimes they carry a wounded stuffed animal or a broken truck. We do our best to stitch up the stuffed animal and fix the broken truck. As a parent, it is painful when we can't fix something for our children. It doesn't matter if the child is 5, 15 or 55, we want to heal what hurts the ones we love with every breath we take.
As grown ups, we have experienced the goodness that often comes from pain. Childbirth hurts, but the baby in arms is worth the pain. Growing and tending a garden can leave us aching and even bleeding at times, but the reward is a beautiful harvest.
Our Walker was a frequent flyer at the orthopedic and emergency room as a child. The youngest of the pack, he was determined to keep up and was fearless in his pursuits. I remember one of the orthopedic doctors comforting me with these words: "The place where the bone has been broken heals stronger than it was before." I was stunned by that knowledge. What an amazing design feature. Wherever he was broken, he is stronger than he was before.
"You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God." -Psalm 51:16-17
When Jesus celebrated what we know as "The Last Supper" with his disciples, he broke bread and shared it with them. Look at Matthew 26:26-
As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.”
His broken body, a symbol of the cost, the suffering and the sacrifice. His bones were not actually broken, fulfilling prophecy. (Psalm 34:20, Exodus 12:46) And in truth, His life was not taken. He gave it. He had the power over life and death. He had a host of angel armies at his command. Yes, he was crucified on a cross, but death came when he called it.
He said: "It is finished." "Into your hands, I commit my spirit." are the words he cried out in agony. Broken for the moment... but Sunday was on the way.
Today, I am grateful that brokenness is only for a season.
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