A Broken Journey

• Psalms 34:18-19 – “The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.”

Let’s all admit to something, shall we? These are the verses we all like to hear, the kind we highlight and underline in our bibles, surrounding them with cute little notes. The kind that leave us feeling warm and fuzzy. None of that doom and gloom stuff you might find in Revelation or something right? These are the kind people blow up and decorate their houses with. These are the kind that we choose as our favorite verses, as if the rest aren’t as important.

Why is that? Because, at least for me, it’s nice to feel encouraged in an otherwise discouraging world. And there’s nothing wrong with that, as long as we face reality every once in a while. As long as we acknowledge those other verses in the bible too. Every single one holds its own importance, and we can’t let ourselves block out the ones we don’t want to listen to just because they lay the terrible and chaotic truth out in the open.

Take verse nineteen for example. It says, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” We focus so much on the second half of this, that it’s almost as if we ignore how the verse starts. Many are the afflictions. Being Christians does not make us exempt from trials. In fact, sometimes we face more of them than the average person.

We read this verse and imagine that the second anything goes wrong, God will pull us right out of the mess. And when that doesn’t happen, our initial reaction is to blame God. Accuse Him of breaking His promise.

But we have to understand that though He does promise to deliver us, He doesn’t give us a time frame for this deliverance. We are the ones that gave the time limit to a very limitless God.

So sometimes, God doesn’t bring us out of our battles right away. Sometimes we’re meant to endure them for a while. And it’s during this time that you’re being tested, so pay attention.

Think of Job.

Think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Think of all the disciples.

Think of Jesus himself.

All of them endured the fire, some of which endured literal fire. If God had brought them out the moment their troubles began, they would’ve never had a story to tell.

God knows we have a story to tell, even before we know it ourselves. And it’s because of this that God won’t cease to break you as you are now, to make you who He’s called you to be.

So that famous phrase we all know so well that goes like, “God will never give you more than you can handle.” Yeah. Not true. Just ask those guys listed up there.

God will absolutely give us more than we can handle. And I know that sounds harsh. How could a merciful, loving God do such a thing to those He loves most? How could He allow us to become broken?

I think that maybe it’s because otherwise, we’d feel like we don’t need Him. We’d feel like we can handle everything on our own. But if something comes at us that’s too heavy, something that has enough force to knock us down, we’ll realize just how weak we really are without Him.

He gives us more than we can handle to show us that He’ll handle the parts we can’t, as long as we give it to Him. He wants us to give it to Him. It’s just that sometimes, we’re too stubborn to.

Over the course of the last three years of my life, I dealt with this personally. Things were thrown at me one after another. Just as one battle ended, another began and I wasn’t sure if I was even winning any of them.

Brokenness had a new meaning to me. It was personal now. And it isn’t until you face something for yourself that you truly start to understand it. I didn’t always handle it with grace. I got angry with God and disappointed in myself. Hurt has this infuriating ability to blind you if you let it.

So yes, I know firsthand that God will give you more than you can handle.

Just like I know there’s a reason behind it. And there was.

Then I remembered a verse that might sound familiar. How did it go again? “He is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart. . .”

He was with me. The whole time.

Shaping me. Molding me. Building me. None of which could’ve happened without being broken first. You can’t become something new until you let go of who you were, until you allow the brokenness to do its work. Don’t resist it. Don’t even try to fight it. Learn from it. It’s on your side, believe it or not.

I’m not the same girl I was three years ago. I can’t even remember what it was like to be her, if I’m being honest. I’m not saying I’ve made it through the process yet. I’m not saying that He’s done breaking me. All I’m saying is that I accept every broken bone as a step closer to being who He’s called me to be. And every scar that’s left behind lives as a reminder that I’ve made it this far. And that I’m still going. I’m still becoming.

You can’t really appreciate being whole until you know what it’s like to be broken.

So, when God lets you get knocked down, even if He’s the one who did the knocking, count it as a blessing. Because you’re about to go on an epic journey. A journey that’s going to teach you how to be brave.

Strong.

Mighty.

Courageous.

Unstoppable.

It’s a journey that’s going to teach you who’s you are. Don’t ever let the brokenness defeat you. That’s not what it’s meant for. You are God’s masterpiece. All He’s trying to do is show you that.