Purely Broken

What are broken things, if not things for God to heal?

What are challenges, if not opportunities to grow?

What are valleys, if not proof that there are mountains?

 

I am a verbal processor. Talking things out helps me to understand what I’m feeling and what’s happening around me. During a recent conversation with someone I love, I saw in myself a sense of fear towards him. It had been there for quite some time and I had plenty of reasons for it. But that fear had affected my ability to love like Christ; it drew me into hiding, not into light. And honestly, I forgot that it was there. By staying in that place I wasn't allowing room for the person and the relationship to grow, which are things I have long prayed for. And the Holy Spirit said to me, “If it weren’t for broken things, you would never know my endless ability to heal anything.” 

 

He is so right! The biggest challenges in my life have been the things God has used to draw me closer and pull down my walls. They are things He has inevitably used to change my heart and mend my wounds. It's sort of strange, isn't it, that something that is so painful can also be healing. The hardest moments have become the ones where I find myself closest to Him, loved unconditionally and absolutely safe with His Spirit. They have led to better sight and a cleaner heart - but not without some hard work and humility. I needed, and still do, to have my thought system challenged and my true heart revealed. There are so many things in the human heart that get buried over the years, and they don't all get uncovered overnight. 

That’s the beauty of this journey we get to take with Jesus – we’re never stuck. We don’t have to live in bondage to the things that are killing our Spirits. And we don't have to claim our worst traits as our identity. We get to keep moving forward in freedom, freedom to change without all the heavy junk and excuses we make. 

When we stop pointing fingers and making excuses, we're in the best position for change - surrender. Our calling, as believers, is continual growth that makes our hearts cleaner and our love more like His. His words to me recently say it best, " Those who do not think they need change need it most."