“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise.”
Psalm 51
In an old holiday classic, a misfit reindeer finds himself in the land of broken toys that nobody wants. Although I still enjoy watching it, the message is lost in modern thinking where brokenness is a symbol of individuality—a mark of diversity to be celebrated, lionized, and held on to like a trophy to be lofted high in the next parade.
It is not a shame to be broken—we all are. Whether we choose to admit it or not, we are less than we should be. This is not a social construct, a cultural bias, or a result of hidden trauma. We really are broken. The question is what can be done about it? Humanity seems to be untreatable.
Appearances can be deceiving. The treatment has always been available, in fact, the solution pre-dates the problem. Rather than trying to ignore our failings, seeking to appease angry, vengeful gods, or sanitize our actions, bring that very same brokenness to the Creator to repair.
Departing from the One who created us is the cause of all our brokenness—returning is the solution. However, you might have to go alone. Few are willing to hear another person suggest that they are broken. The number shrinks even further when it comes to those willing to reason it for themselves.
Jesus was criticized for associating with the dregs of society, (many of whom shared the world’s view of them). He simply replied that those who are whole have no need for a physician. He didn’t come for those with no need. He came for the broken, the blind, the crippled, and the unloved. The medicine he brought was grace and forgiveness provided without price to whosoever would take it.
“Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons…Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son…”
In healing our brokenness, He transports us from this land of broken toys into His own kingdom where we are made whole again—forever.
Maranatha
