Hope for the Brokenhearted

In theatre, I love working with broken items or things that no one else wants.  I like making them useful and valuable once again, giving them new life as props.  Many of my props are from otherwise unwanted items, basically trash to treasure items.  I also like being able to fix almost anything, items that others would discard and replace.

Real World Theatrics

In life, though, we can become overwhelmed by all of the brokenness that we encounter.  Sometimes it seems as though all that we have is falling apart, and sometimes that includes us, as well.  Tonight, as I untaped the charge port on my phone to plug it in, I mentioned to my husband that it seemed like everything I have is broken.  He joked that I shouldn’t be so rough on my stuff, which is true enough, but that’s another story altogether.

I began to think about all of the broken things in my personal life… the toilet that won’t stop running, my phone that I dropped in the tub, my truck which has a million things wrong with it…  My mind settled on my truck.  I thought about how each time I got something fixed and working again, how happy it made me, not just that it’s running, but that it’s that much closer to restoration.  It has a long way to go, but it’s getting there.  I just have to keep working on it.   I got the truck from my dad after he passed away, so it has sentimental value.  Although others see it as not worth the time, money, or effort, to me, every little victory in getting it running makes me happy.

Scriptural Guidance

I imagine that’s how God sees us.  Sometimes we may feel worthless, broken, like there is so much wrong with us that we either can’t be fixed, aren’t worth the effort, or that no one wants us the way that we are.  This leads us to  feel defeated and overwhelmed, but God says that in Psalm 34:18 that he is close to the brokenhearted.  While we may be falling apart in so many ways, that is often when God can work with us the most.  s we grow in him, while we aren’t perfect, when we have even the smallest victory in Christ, it makes him happy.

It’s not that He likes seeing us broken, but when we are, he can form us into what he needs us to be.  Jeremiah 17:14 talks about how God picks up the broken pieces of our life to put them together again. Psalm 71:20-21 says “God, you have made me see it through many troubles and calamities and you will always revive me again. From the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. You will increase my greatness and comfort me over and over again. God, you’ve done it all! Lord there is none like you. God, you have enabled me stare trouble in the eyes, and You have turned me around. With You I can look life in the face. I’ve been to the bottom; but You will bring me up, overflowing with honors. Please hear my voice and come unto me, and be tender to me.”

In Conclusion

Fixing things isn’t always easy.  In fact, anything worthwhile is often difficult and takes time to achieve.  When we’re brokenhearted, it can be difficult to see past the situation.  If we seek Him in our weakness, He can not only help us to find joy or peace when there is none to be find, He will also help to mold us into something stronger than we’ve ever been, possibly for a purpose that we hadn’t even considered.

Related Link: If you enjoyed this article, you might also enjoy my article Managing a Hectic Schedule.