Broken
It means to be damaged or no longer in proper working order. You see it in illnesses that ravage a once energetic and lively body. You see it in families where marriages are fractured. You see it in relationships that suffer from intentional, or even unintentional hurt. Brokenness is identified in tears and death, in suffering and heartache, in damage and decay. It often results in anger or greed, in selfishness or loneliness, or even in despair.
Brokenness is all around us. No matter how hard we try we can never escape it, because we all carry brokenness within us.
And it’s all because of sin.
In C.S. Lewis’ book The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, an evil witch turns those with whom she is displeased into stone statues. Her victims are alive but can do nothing. They need to be rescued. This is what sin has done to our hearts. Hearts that once beat for the love of God have been petrified so they cannot truly love God. Sin has created a wedge between man and God and between man and man. The difference is that a witch did not do this to us. We did it to ourselves.
Like a prison guard, sin has wrapped us in chains and has stamped us with a seal of guilt that we cannot break or remove. Sin is all darkness, all heinousness, all evil. Everything on earth has been taken captive by this curse and it destroys everything it touches.
Throughout Scripture we read stories of broken people. From Adam to the apostle Paul, all were hopeless on their own. But the beauty of God’s Word is that it is not just a story of tragedy. Woven throughout the Bible is also the greatest story of redemption.
Redeemed
But God!
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—
by grace you have been saved.
– Ephesians 2:4-5
In God there is always good news. He has not left His creation in sin. He did not ignore the brokenness of His people.
In the weeks to come we will see the goodness of God in that He did not forget Sarah throughout her years of infertility. We will see Him care for Naomi as she deals with loss and loneliness. Behold our great God who gave Moses courage, Paul true zeal, and the adulterous woman forgiveness and the chance of a new life.
While we see the mercy and kindness of God in these stories, they are only temporary helps. The issue of our brokenness goes beyond our physical and emotional well being. All of the people we will study – and us included – have hearts and souls that need rescuing; otherwise our brokenness will never end. In God’s work of restoration we experience love, joy, satisfaction, and freedom through Jesus Christ. We will see that the answer to all of our brokenness, no matter what it is, is Christ himself.
Throughout the entire Old Testament we find God’s promise that a Savior is coming – a Redeemer whose sacrifice would break the chain of sin and whose blood would melt the heart of stone. While brokenness – in the sense that we see it here on earth – will no longer be a part of our reality in heaven, we will see the evidence of Christ’s brokenness for us on a daily basis. His hands, His feet, and His side will forever bear the scars of that horrendous death He went through for us. The proof of our redemption will be forever before us, and we will rejoice!
So grab your favorite beverage, crack open your Bible, and together let’s rejoice with the broken and redeemed of God.
—————————————————————————
You can grab a copy of our Broken & Redeemed journal on Amazon here or download it at this location.
We also have a corresponding kid’s Broken & Redeemed journal geared for children in the elementary grades. You can also grab a copy on Amazon at this location.
As I read the introduction time seemed to stop and a rush came like the wind taking my breathe away. And I am confronted with the real, the raw, the reality of my own self…..MY BROKENNESS!
As I sat face to face with my image this morning God knocked on the door of my heart yet again and said “can I enter here?” This is a place of have been before. He takes us from glory to glory. He slowly moves about our hearts entering where we open the door for him.
Total lockdown was once my heart before I let Him in. Hate, pain, anger and self hate consumed me. But I wore it like a champ! I “had it all together.” But I didn’t on the inside I was a mess, broken in a thousand pieces and screaming on the inside yet no one heard. Or st least I thought no one did. In a room filled with people I was the life of the party yet the most lonely person in the room.
The draw of knowing started pulling on my heart. Unsatisfied, I knew there was more. Then the day came, I met Jesus face to face and allowed Him in my heart. The journey began. Encounter after encounter. Door after door. God began moving about my heart and I was changed.
But here I am again looking into the mirror and He’s revealing. Asking again if He may enter. Reluctant, my heart says yes! This study, this time, this place will never happen again. This is my chance to meet Him behind another locked door and be redeemed.
Here I stand knowing that I once was low, full of sin and hate and He brought me out, wrapped me in love, and the healing of all my broken pieces begins yet again. I have come far but will never cease to need His healing power. I am a broken and shattered vessel made new as He takes my broken pieces and puts them back together into a beautiful mosaic. He makes beauty out of the ashes of my life, all the pain made into something for His glory.
I am but a women who trusts in her Savior to make something out of her brokenness. He can take my mess and give me a message.
As I take another step in my journey of this Christ life I know I am here face to face with this image because He has something more for me if I allow Him to enter in this door…..redemption!
Of ladies let’s move from glory to glory!
Beautifully said.
I love this, I have felt my brokenness most recently, thought about it often. Sometimes crippled by it. But in this state, I know I am redeemed.
Wow! That was amazingly powerful! All glory to God for moving in you!
What a picture of so many women that I’ve known and know….beginning with me! Thank you for being so “real”. Transparency can be so difficult but so required of those of us who are of the Household of Faith. I’m about to start a women’s bible study and will be using your testimony to encourage us all! Thank you and may God continue to bless you on your journey.
Reading the introduction caused me to think about sin and how devastatingly damaging it is to cling to. The more we get comfortable allowing it to invade our life, it seems to “fit” like a favorite pair of pants or comfortable shoes. On my way to work yesterday morning an overwhelming sense of praise filled my heart as I thought about the goodness of our Father. I reflected on this scripture: And I pray that you and all God’s holy people will have the power to understand the greatness of Christ’s love—how wide, how long, how high, and how deep that love is. Ephesians 3:18. I was enveloped in God’s presence; feeling completely swept away by thoughts of Jesus and the sacrifice He made for us. I thought of the pain that he had to endure; not only the excruciating physical pain, but the deep pain of being separated from His Father as the sins of the world, MY SINS, were upon Him. I began to thank Him for many things and to ask forgiveness for the sins of omission; those things I know that I should do, but do not or choose not to do knowing they are the right things to do. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. James 4:17. Jesus met me right where I was. My reflection was first of praise and thanksgiving until the Holy Spirit brought up the sin that I was clinging to. In those moments of realization, I was broken; sweetly broken before Him caught up in the overflow of delving deep into seeing the effects of the sin that had me bound. I cried out for His forgiveness and felt those chains being broken! I love that He meets us where we are, shows us our heart and brings us to the end of ourselves. All glory be to our Lord and Father!
I’m broken completely to pieces. Praying that God, thru this study, redeemes me and restores me.
Oh Itza, our God is so faithful to do the impossible, to finish and complete whatever He begins, to make the broken whole again, to bring beauty from ashes! ?
~Terria (LGG Encourager)
GOD has already done that for you just believe what HE says about you that HE has redeemed you.you belong to Him now.HE has made you whole,HE has made you a new creature.just believe His WORD and know brokeness is no longer your place to be.it is no longer your reality.leave that place and go in the place of a redeemed daughter of GOD.
I’m excited to begin this study! Just ordered the book from Amazon. I’ve been sick with flu for a month and missed church and ladies’ Bible Study, and feeling such a need to be connected via this study. I am broken also. Praise God for these studies!
Maureen we are so blessed your joining us. If you need a group email me at [email protected]
Wow! These words in the blog and in the comments that follow were just what I needed to hear. I had been feeling defeated and unmotivated as we start this next study, but your words reminded me of God’s power to save and heal. I can’t wait to see how our Father moves in us this study, as he restores all things through our brokenness!
Thanks ladies and Thank you to the Holy Spirit who poured wisdom into you so you could encourage us!
Oh so blessed that your were encouraged. I cannot wait to hear how God ministers during this study.
Got my book today!!! Perfect timing…looking forward to this study. As I was looking through the pages of the book, Broken &Redeemed came to mind how many studies I have done with LGG,. Remember my first one was on a very difficult time in my life that helped me in the process of pain and loneliness. Thank you for all you’re doing. May God continue to bless you and your ministry.
Reading this introduction……I am amazed how broken I still am. Time after time I say This is the last one I will facilitate and then I relize, I need this one……I want to absorb all that I can…..be a vessel to all that I meet…….Gods going to clear me of my cancer and I know why…..because I AM going to reach people with my healings and help others that are wearing my shoes…..Broken (Who isn’t) and Redeemed(I AM)
As I read the introduction , my mind keeps going to the redemption centers here in Maine. These are places where people can bring their beverage bottles etc in exchange for money. One redemption center just happens to be next to a church. This morning , I am praying for the pastor of that church. You see here in Maine as I am sure in other states as well—just because its a church doesn’t mean its what its cracked up to be. Corrie ten Boom’s father once said just because you put a mouse in a cookie jar doesn’t make it a cookie. Sad to say that in a number of churches here in Maine , the congregation dictates to the pastor what he can preach and not preach. Some churches do not allow hymns and Bible reading. They just want the messages that make them feel good. As we prepare our hearts for Easter I pray the pastor of this church will step up to the plate and pitch a sermon that will honor God !
Just said a prayer with you. Praying the pastor and congregation have ears to hear and eyes to see truth. Pastors to hear the Holy Spirit and step out body. And the people to humble themselves before The Word. I bet you are a mighty prayer warrior yourself or you wouldn’t even recognize the falsehood. 🙂 Praying strength for you.
The The Bible is the word of God. People just as the phaiases wanted to believe what made them just., even though they knew they were wrong. The word of God is forever.
I just got out of a relationship that truly had me believing that I am broken. This bible study is right on time with what I need. I am excited for God to completely restore the layers he has been ripping off.