Broken, but Whole

So many of us in this world are broken in some ways.  Some of us are very broken--as  a matter of fact, I would say we are more than just broken--we are shattered.  Life has been hard on us and we have weathered some really tough times.  Some of us are a little broken, with a chip here or there, but not much more than that.  After all, our lives have been pretty good to us.  Some of us are not shattered, but we are more than just chipped.  Life has been hard, but not unbearable.  We have experienced heartache, yet have still come out of it, more damaged, but still intact.  Cracked, chipped, broken and shattered.

What is God supposed to do with all of those pieces?  Can he really put us back together again?  If he does, are we ever really the same?  I guess that depends on what you believe God can really do.  Do you really believe he can make all things new or do you think you will just end up looking like the cup in the picture--broken and put back together, but never quite as useful as the original cup?

The truth is, we might not ever be the original form of us that came into this world.  Does that mean that we have to go through this life feeling broken though?

Several years ago, I fell and broke my ankle.  The three main bones that hold the ankle in place were broken and in order to heal properly, I had to have surgery.  The doctor inserted three screws into my ankle to hold it together while the bones healed again.  Guess what?  I'm healed--but my ankle is not quite the same.  I have a big scar on each side of my ankle and my ankle is a bit stiffer than it used to be.  It also doesn't look quite as straight as it originally did and I have to deal with quite of bit of swelling in that ankle, even all these years later.  I can even tell when a low pressure system is approaching, because I will start to have sharp pains  in my ankle.  But you know what?  Despite the fact that my ankle is now scarred, crooked and a bit stiffer, my ankle is now also stronger.  Much stronger.  You see, the doctor explained to me that my ankle bone would actually be much stronger than the original bone.  He said that it was unlikely that I would ever break my ankle in the same place again, because the new bone that had formed in the healing process was much thicker and stronger than the original bone.  Yes, I can still break my ankle, but it would most likely be in a different place.  How fascinating to me that God created our bodies to be stronger after an injury like that, yet that is not so different than what he can do with our broken lives.

You see, our brokenness can be made stronger--for his sake and for his glory!  We don't have to covet being what we were, because he can not only make us new, he can make us stronger and better than we were.  Yes, we might still have scars, and we might not move about as we once did, but we might be able to move better now, with more conviction and passion.....and forgiveness.  How amazing it is that God can take the messiness of our lives and turn it into something better, stronger and even more valuable than before!

So do not long for your past.  Do not live in regret or sorrow.  Do not wish you had or hadn't and do not want for a chance to undo.  Just live---walk forward with your Lord--hand in hand, knowing he sees you, not as a broken crumpled mess, but as a whole living vessel.

"He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3
"The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18 

God will restore all that has been broken, not just by piecing us together and hoping the glue will stick, but by truly reforming us into something new.
"I will repay you for the years
that the swarming locust ate,
the young locust, the destroying locust,
and the devouring locust—
My great army that I sent against you.
26 You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied.
You will praise the name of Yahweh your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.
My people will never again be put to shame.
27 You will know that I am present in Israel
and that I am Yahweh your God,
and there is no other.
My people will never again be put to shame."  Joel 2:25 - 27 (HCSB)