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Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Take My Heart and Make It Break

Brokeness is a powerful thing.

Strength and grace and hope are friends with brokeness.

I heard brokeness on the phone last night, in the voice of a friend who has walked a dark and lonely path. That path hasn't led to the life he had hoped for, but it has led to brokeness, where humility and honesty engulfed him. He couldn't help but be honest. And he couldn't help but be humble. Honesty and humility are the key components of faith. And faith releases the strength, grace, and hope of God. And I could hear those in his voice too.

So often we try to be superheros who have our problems licked. Our lives are put together, complete, and solid. When we've got it all together - or pretend like we've got it all together - or strive to get it all together - we distance ourselves from God. We end up on our own, self-reliant, and cut off.

And it's all a facade anyway. Pride says that I can make it on my own. And dishonesty says that I have no sin. And that takes me far, far away from God.

But then a plane crashes into the building. And brokeness ensues. And eventually, if we respond not as superheros but rather as orphans, humility and honesty begin to emerge out of the rubble of brokeness.

Where humility and honesty is, faith is.

And where faith is, God is.

And where God is, strength and grace and hope are.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Amen and Amen.

Been there, done that, got the T-shirt. Hopefully I wear the t-shirt often enough that I don't forget and have to have another "plane hit the building" experience.

Your words are true.

Anonymous said...

"Worlds Apart" by Jars of Clay

"I am the only one to blame for this
Somehow it all adds up the same
Soaring on the wings of selfish pride
I flew too high and like Icarus I collide
With a world I try so hard to leave behind...

More and more I need you now,
I owe you more each passing hour
the battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago
So steal my heart and take the pain
and wash the feet and cleanse my pride
take the selfish, take the weak,
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
the sin-soaked heart and make it yours
take my world all of it
take it now, take it now...

To love you - take my world apart
To need you - I am on my knees
To love you - take my world apart
To need you - broken on my knees...

take my world apart, take my world apart
I pray, I pray, I pray
take my world apart"

Anonymous said...

I love that song. It even makes me cry sometimes.