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 am not comfortable with broken things. It’s probably a sign of obsessive-compulsive disorder. But if something gets broken in my house and it is not hidden from me first, my tendency is to throw it away. I hate chipped bowls, plates, and cups. I despise broken toys. I am not a gluer. I have no confidence in things that are “fixed.” I know it is only a matter of time before they fall apart again.
My husband, Stone, is the opposite. I am forever finding contraptions holding together objects that he has glued for the kids. “Don’t touch it!” he’ll say. “It just has to set.” It’s no small wonder I am bypassed when the dog chews a stuffed animal’s eye out or the play toaster gets dropped and the door falls off. One parent’s trash is another parent’s treasure.
But neither approach works for spiritual things. If I’m in a broken relationship or something’s broken in me, the easier thing is to scrap it. Or, like Stone does with toys, fix it. We never think of broken things being usable. They have to be scrapped or fixed.
Except that’s the opposite of what God did at the cross. God took what was perfect—His Son—and broke Him, in order to make us whole. Our healing was contained in His brokenness. That’s what’s useful to God. Not what’s perfect. Not even what’s fixed. The broken thing. And because He lives in us, our brokenness is the thing that brings healing to others.
Faith Step: That thing that broke your heart? The thing you keep struggling with that you wish was fixed? Challenge yourself today to think about it differently, to see it as your thing Jesus wants to use to help someone else.
