The Beauty in Brokenness

Dina here. As some of you know, I've been teaching a summer writing class at my church for the last eight weeks called "The Inspiration and the Perspiration." You can see the online version at my personal blog: http://awesomeinspirationals.blogspot.com/.  So today, I'd like to offer a devotion by one of my students, who has also become a regular Inkwell follower, Louise Mendez. Louise has faced serious struggles and heartaches lately. Let's all surround her with our love and encouragement today.

The Beauty in Brokenness

by Louise Mendez

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

All of us have experienced a broken heart at one time or another. This is not anything new to human beings. We live in a culture by which the latest way to decide to stop seeing someone is to tell them via a text message or email. As adults our hearts are tested through the trials of life and many of the times it seems as though our hearts are shattered, irreparable, or crushed in the depth of our souls. We can agree with the psalmist when he wrote, “I am poor and needy. My heart is wounded deep inside of me” (Psalm 109:22). He understands our tears.

What do you do when your heart is broken? When the doctor gives you a diagnosis that you weren’t expecting? When your spouse has given you bad news? When your dreams crumble? When life happens? Your body and heart may grow weak, yet God is the strength for your heart. God uses brokenness for us to get closer to Him. He is everything that we will ever need. (Psalm 73:26). God is not sitting back, easily distracted, and overwhelmed by your brokenness. Rather, He stands ready to help you in your need. What do you need? You need God to repair the damage and mend the broken pieces of your heart.

One of my favorite really old songs talks about placing the broken pieces at the Savior’s feet and He will put them back together and make your life complete. Brokenness produces confidence. Brokenness allows us to know that we are human and reveals how much we need God to get us through life.

“When the Japanese mend broken objects, they aggrandize the damage by filling the cracks with gold. They believe that when something’s suffered damage and history it becomes more beautiful.”- Barbara Bloom once said.

Aggrandize means to make great or greater in power, wealth, rank, or honor- to enhance the power, reputation or position of. The broken object is repaired with a precious substance which enhances its strength and purpose. And in the Japanese culture, the repair (the evidence of brokenness) magnifies the beauty of the object.

In your brokenness allow God to aggrandize your heart. Give Him the freedom to put the pieces back together filling the cracks with His precious substance. He is ready to do so with all the resources of heaven at His disposal. As His Spirit and Truth are used to fill in the damage, you will become even more beautiful and more valuable to Him. Your brokenness doesn’t scare God at all. In fact, His desire is to bring people into your life, bring Truth to your heart and bring praise to your lips to help repair the damage. Don’t minimize His power. Don’t diminish His authority. Exalt His power in your life and become the beautiful person He has intended you to be.