In The Broken Places

The headline last week read, “Lower Manhattan Thriving After 9/11, Study Says,” and the story talked about how it’s “back and better than ever” pointing to population, economic and other growth.

 

At first I thought, “That’s great!” And then I remembered a few things and it made even more sense…

 

One of the best parts of my all-time favorite novel, A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway goes, “If people bring so much courage to this world the world has to kill them to break them, so of course it kills them. The world breaks every one and afterward many are strong at the broken places…” Strong at the broken places. Lower Manhattan Thriving After 9/11.

 

Then I remembered, “But he (God) said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).”

 

Strong at the broken places. Lower Manhattan Thriving After 9/11. For when I am weak, then I am strong…

 

We know these are true. We’ve seen it many times. And yet, we are so used to avoiding our broken places – they make us uncomfortable, they can make us feel ashamed – we just want them to go away! We put a lot of effort to cover, hide, and numb them – not to much success though. I think part of the math is that if we “go there” to the broken places, we are just going to become more broken. But…

 

Strong at the broken places. Lower Manhattan Thriving after 9/11. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

 

It doesn’t help that we often think of “saints” as people who don’t have any broken places. I don’t think I ever thought that way, but I really don’t now. The most beautiful faith stories are the ones in which people saw the truth of their broken places, named them, let God in to heal them and then used that healing to comfort others. That’s the real deal! People who operate as if they have no broken places and who don’t need God or others are usually in the most pain and will only end up harming themselves even worse.

 

I know you and I have our broken places. Real and painful. Some are because of loss and grief. Some are because of being harmed or abused. Some are because we made destructive decisions. Some are because we are addicted. Some are because we are separated or divorced. Some are because of dysfunctional relationships. Some are because of a lost job or career. Some are because of heartbreak and losing heart. There is so much brokenness in our lives and in this world! Oh, how I wish it weren’t like this! But all I can tell you is how God works – works through – not around – all the brokenness. And, He often meets us most powerfully, most obviously, and most vividly at our broken places…

 

Strong at the broken places. Lower Manhattan Thriving after 9/11. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

 

If you are waiting for everything to go back to normal, if you are waiting to wake up as if it were all a dream, if you are waiting until you are better or “more together” – that may not work nor may not happen. But please know you already have everything you need for God’s healing and restoration to begin…

 

It doesn’t end at our broken places; it begins.

 

Amen!

 

PS – And I would go there with you if you needed me to…

 

 

 

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf

Isaiah 42:7

cbrianwolf@gmail.com

www.christopherbwolf.com

 

Christopher B. Wolf is the author of Giving Faith a Second Chance: Restarts, Mulligans and Do-Overs (2007) and the forthcoming, With You: Every Step of the Way (September, 2011).

 

“It is a matter of sharing and bearing the pain and puzzlement of the world so that the crucified love of God in Christ may be brought to bear healingly upon the world at exactly that point.” N.T. Wright

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Nearness and Hope (What We Need)

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18

 

We live in a world of joy and heartbreak. But it often seems like the heartbreak is more prominent. Reading or watching the news gives a daily dose of everything that is wrong in the world. But we know it is much closer than that.

 

There is the heartbreak of today. Sometimes it is the struggles in our families that are in our faces all the time. The job loss or loss of assets. There is the heartbreak of today that cuts each time we look at a spouse that we don’t even know anymore. When we failed the test or exam. When we got the diagnosis. There is the heartbreak of today that hurts each time we think of the family members or friends we can’t reach in faith and love.

What does “brokenhearted” mean? According to the dictionary, “Overcome by grief or despair.” But in real life it is this awful, beyond words feeling. It feels like there is no hope – that it can’t be fixed or can’t get better. It feels like your eyes cannot possibly produce the amount of tears that are welled up inside. It is hard to breathe, hard to move, hard to live.

 

Then there is the heartbreak of yesterday. Our hearts and our memories have their share of heartbreak – this cumulative heartbreak of life. Standing at the end of the bed in ICU as your loved one’s pulse slowly, gradually descends to zero. The family, friends and people we didn’t let in. All the failures, all the attempts, all the dead ends. The quiet but permanent changes in cherished relationships. When we didn’t make the team. These are shattered pieces of yesterday’s heartbreak.

 

Which leads to “crushed in spirit.” When we are “crushed in spirit” it is the feeling of absolute defeat. It is like the life has been drained or ripped out of us.

 

Both of these, heartbroken and “crushed in spirit” seem to have at least one thing in common – they both leave us feeling like there is nothing we can do about them when they are visited upon us…

 

This verse offers a revelation. Nearness and Hope. Can’t these two make the difference? Nearness in the heartbreak of life; Hope for when all seems lost. When Jesus came into this world, God was nearer than ever before; and with the Holy Spirit’s continuing presence – God remains near. And God saves the “crushed in spirit” – it may not look like the rescue we dream of, but it is God’s character. Sometimes it is through the power of the Word, the presence of the Holy Spirit and even through other humans.

 

Listen to the lyrics of the song “Broken Things” by Julie Miller, “Then you walked into my darkness/And you speak words so sweet/And you hold me like a child/Till my frozen tears fall at your feet.” This is what Jesus does; this is what we can do for each other in His name.

 

As you read this, if and when you are heartbroken, if and when you are crushed in spirit, please know God is near and offering you hope.

 

Discussion Questions

1. Please reflect on some times of heartbreak and how it feels.
2. How can we sense that God is near?
3. Why does God allow us to become heartbroken and crushed in spirit?
4. What can you do for someone else who is heartbroken and crushed in spirit?

 

 

Rev. Christopher B. Wolf

Isaiah 42:7

cbrianwolf@sbcglobal.net

www.christopherbwolf.com

 

“It is a matter of sharing and bearing the pain and puzzlement of the world so that the crucified love of God in Christ may be brought to bear healingly upon the world at exactly that point.” N.T. Wright

Read Full Post »

Nearness and Hope

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18

This seems like a world of heartbreak. You can look in the newspaper or watch the news for heartbreak. But we know it is much closer than that.  

There is the heartbreak of today. Sometimes it is the struggles in our families that are in our faces all the time. The job loss or impending job loss that seems to negate or ignore decades of hard work. There is the heartbreak of today that cuts each time we look at a spouse that we don’t even know anymore. When we failed the test or exam. There is the heartbreak of today that hurts each time we think of the family member or friend we can’t reach in faith and love.     

What does “brokenhearted” mean? According to the dictionary, “Overcome by grief or despair.” But in real life it is this awful, beyond words feeling. It feels like there is no hope – that it can’t be fixed or can’t get better. It feels like your eyes cannot possibly produce the amount of tears that are welled up inside. It is hard to breathe, hard to move, hard to live.  

Then there is the heartbreak of yesterday. Our hearts and our memories have their share of heartbreak – this cumulative heartbreak of life. Standing at the end of the bed in ICU as your loved one’s pulse slowly, gradually descends to zero. The family, friends and people we didn’t allow to reach us. All the failures, all the attempts, all the dead ends. The quiet but permanent changes in cherished relationships. When we didn’t make the team. These are shattered pieces of yesterday’s heartbreak.     

Which leads to “crushed in spirit.” When we are “crushed in spirit” it is the feeling of absolute defeat. It is like the life has been drained or ripped out of us.  Both of these, heartbroken and “crushed in spirit” seem to have at least one thing in common – they both leave us feeling like there is nothing we can do about them when they are visited upon us… 

This verse offers a revelation. Nearness and Hope. Can’t these two make the difference? Nearness in the heartbreak of life; Hope for when all seems lost. When Jesus came into this world, God was nearer than ever before; and with the Holy Spirit’s continuing presence – God remains near. And God saves the “crushed in spirit” – it may not look like the rescue we dream of, but it is God’s character. Sometimes it is through the power of the Word, the presence of the Holy Spirit and even through other humans.   

Listen to the lyrics of the song “Broken Things” by Julie Miller, “Then you walked into my darkness/And you speak words so sweet/And you hold me like a child/Till my frozen tears fall at your feet.” This is what Jesus does; this is what we can do for each other in His name.  

Today, as you read this, as you are heartbroken, as you are crushed in spirit, please know God is near and offering you hope. 

Discussion Questions

1. Please reflect on some times of heartbreak and how it feels.
2. How can we sense that God is near?
3. Why does God allow us to become heartbroken and crushed in spirit?
4. What can you do for someone else who is heartbroken and crushed in spirit?

Read Full Post »