Photo by Chris Barbalis on Unsplash
Brokenness seems to be everywhere around us! We argue and fight with our spouses, our friends. Our children get on our nerves if they are young…no, not all the time. But honestly, there are times when we would enjoy a little more quiet…until we get it!
When they are adults, they have their own lives that we are a part of to some degree or other. We know of some of their decisions and watch, concerned at times. Learning to pray more and worry less. Because GOD is the one who can truly change the things that need to change in meaningful ways and they aren’t always the things we think are more important.
We watch the news and wonder if our world will ever be at peace anywhere.
Brokenness is everywhere all around us. Sadly, when we are honest, and look within, we find it right inside our own hearts. How often do we know the right thing to do and choose the opposite?
How often does that voice in our head prompt us to say the kind thing and we choose to say the thing that allows us to vent…and hurt the person we need to comfort or encourage.
Ways we are broken
Often, we are much more subtle. We make the “sweet” comment with the little barb. It sounds sweet, but the person we talk to feels the barb as if it were a dagger plunged into them! The pain of it is often that they can’t speak to it. It sounded so sweet.
So as the blood is pouring out of her gaping wound (figuratively speaking), you walk away. Satisfied that you have gotten revenge for some imagined hurt. Meanwhile, she lies helpless, bleeding out on the floor in misery and pain.
Her feelings are hurt…but you were only joking, or she was too sensitive, or she took it the wrong way or… but you know deep down that despite your clumsy words that you may or may not have meant to hurt her with, you left someone in pain.
I can’t tell you how many times I have written something to email to someone and have asked Ron to proof it before I send it. There are many times I send things that I really don’t see what is there. He always finds things that need to be stated in kinder, gentler ways than I did.
There have been other times when I was hurt and was responding to something that I knew needed to be carefully written out because my words off the cuff would not be stated well or kindly. Not long ago, when I was writing something, I had to do 4 or 5 versions of it. Each time, his question was, “Do you want to be right or do you want to continue to have a relationship with this person?”
I finally got down to one sentence I wanted to leave in. He asked me the same question again. I wanted to leave that final little barb in. I was hoping it was subtle enough…but he knew it wasn’t! As I thought of the choice I had to make, I realized I didn’t want the moment of pleasure I would have getting in my dig. It would hurt more than one relationship and leave scars that would take a long time to heal.
No, it was so NOT worth it!
Bringing Jesus to the brokenness around us
How does a Christian bring health and wholeness to these broken, sick and sinful situations? Does the Christian come in with a sword and quote Bible verses and save the day? Rarely. At least not in that way. That only happens in cartoons. Christian cartoons.
I would like to submit that a Christian is one who brings a piece of GOD to this broken world. As little Christs…christians, we bring Jesus…GOD in human flesh, to this broken world.
No, it isn’t something that comes across in a self-righteous way because we did nothing to earn it or deserve it. There is nothing we do on a continuing basis to deserve it!
But Christ lives in us. More accurately, the Holy Spirit. We are connected to Him. So as we raise our children, we aren’t “disciplining” them (a biblical term that is often misunderstood), we are bringing Jesus to a broken situation!
No matter where we are or what we’re doing, we bring Jesus to the relationships, the people, the situations, that we are in. It may not be in words. It may be in a presence. But whether it is in the workplace…which may be your home, in the relative privacy of your home, your church, community or wherever you are…you bring Jesus to that place. What are they seeing of Him when they see you in action.
Do they see someone who is genuine or fake? loving or indifferent? humble or arrogant? gracious or judgemental (and I’m not using politically correct definitions here.)
Does the fruit of the Holy Spirit show (cf. Galatians 5:22-23) or are you living like a Pharisee?
Do the people in your life see that you are someone who represents Jesus in their world?
Do they have a positive view of Jesus because of you and your life?
