Broken, but Beautiful

You thought things were going okay, when suddenly you find yourself sinking under the weight of loss, struggles, pain, your past, or life changes. You don't even know what just happened. All you know is that you feel terribly broken.

The disciples felt something like this on the boat during a huge storm. They were sure they were going to sink, and Jesus was going to sleep through it. Get this: they had Jesus, the Lord over the wind and waves, with them... but the storm threatened, and they freaked out, yelling at Jesus, "We're dying!" (Luke 8:22-25)

I resonate with the disciples' plight. I have a heavenly Father who walks with me through every moment of pain and difficulty, and yet sometimes I freak out or blame Him for the pain. I might even say something similar the disciples, "What are you doing God? I'm gonna die."

Do you ever feel this way?

The journey towards healing--whether that's from painful past hurt, chronic health problems, or your own life choices, is a long, strenuous one. We all walk through deep brokenness, and it impacts each of us in different, but weighty, ways.

Sometimes that brokenness leaves us feeling empty and without words. No one understands. We know we need to cast the burden on the Father, but we can't even munger up any words. That's ok. You can still cry out:

"God, help me. I can't do this."

God is there. He hears your cry and He answers. The Spirit intercedes for you with groanings to deep for words (Rom. 8:26). Wow, let that one seep in! As you cry out, allow God to comfort your heart (Ps. 94:19, 18:2). He is near to the brokenhearted (Ps. 34:18).

Another powerful truth: God not only wants to comfort you in your pain, but He wants to use your brokenness for good. It may enable you to reach a person you could have never reached before. It may give you grace and sympathy for others who are struggling. Your pain demonstrates this incredible reality:

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." 2 Cor. 4:7

I've heard it explained that the imagery of us being "clay pots" implies that we're easily chipped or broken. But that's how God does His best work. He uses the things that are weak, the things others would overlook, to showcase His strength.

So let God work through you, a broken vessel, perfecting you and revealing His power (2 Cor. 12:9). When life is crushing, remember that He is producing beauty in and through your brokenness. Cry out to Him in your weakness, and let Him demonstrate His power.

He will use you more powerfully than you can imagine.