Brokenness

“But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

the chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

and by His stripes we are healed.”

     Isaiah 53:5 (NKJV)

I recently saw the movie “To Save a Life.” It's theme is brokenness--how the things of this world bring destruction instead of satisfaction, yet Christ can redeem and heal. To be honest, the movie was very hard for me to watch because I could relate to it in so many ways and it brought up so many difficult memories.  In my family, we experienced teen suicide, divorce, tragic fatal accidents, alcoholism, domestic abuse, abortion and estranged relationships over generations. Growing up, that was my normal.  The fact is, we live in a fallen world and families are often marked by trauma and dysfunction to some degree.

I knew personal brokenness as well before coming to a saving faith in Christ as an adult. I know that in Him, my sins are forgiven and by His stripes, I am healed.  Yet part of the brokenness is still there; the consequences of my poor choices remain, as do the hard memories and regrets. And my heart hurts because of it all. But I hold fast to the promise that one day, I will be fully healed in glory. I find strength and comfort in knowing that I am a new creation in Christ and that in Him old things are made new.

Our gracious God loves to restore, and I pray regularly for restoration for myself, my family and those relationships that need His healing touch.  A verse from a song says that we are broken to be made more beautiful, broken to be made whole; one day we will indeed be both. It's good to remember that God has a purpose in our brokenness, and if we keep trusting in Him, He will use it for our good and His glory.