Beauty in Brokenness

After watching my first episode of Fixer Upper with Chip and Joanna Gaines, I quickly jumped on the American bandwagon of loving all things DIY. I love how they transform these houses (some of them “dumps”) into homes of beauty.

I don’t naturally see the beauty in a dirty chest of drawers or a run-down house. But so much deeper than merely seeing the beauty in broken possessions, the Lord has taught me to see the beauty he makes out of the brokenness in my own life and in the lives of others.

I was thirteen when I first experienced what it meant to be broken. My dad was unfaithful to my mom. They tried to work it out, but after a year my dad chose to move out, and eventually my parents divorced.

I cried myself to sleep many nights. I was already a believer, but I was searching for what it truly meant to be a Christ follower. One night I cried out through my tears, “Why is this happening to my family, God? I don’t understand, but I do know you love me and care for me. Please, I need you right now! Be with me and comfort me!” I remember feeling his presence in the most real way. I squeezed my pillow tightly and felt him holding me. That moment—when I thought my life was over because of my brokenness—God showed me this was only the beginning of what he wanted to do through me, if only I would give my hurt and brokenness to him.

I believe we can see three types of brokenness in Scripture:

Brokenness through circumstances

 In 1 Samuel 1, we read about Hannah and the brokenness she experienced because of infertility. Just as I didn’t choose the circumstance of my parents’ divorce, Hannah didn’t choose the circumstance of infertility. But through her despair, she was brought to a place of complete vulnerability and transparency before the Lord. She surrendered her brokenness to him, in faith asked for a son, and chose to praise him in her pain and desperation. God answered Hannah’s prayer and gave her a son. He restored her and brought beauty to the life she viewed as broken. God doesn’t always answer our prayers the way we want him to—for example, my parents didn’t reunite—but he will always answer our prayers according to his perfect will. He’ll bring restoration to our lives, if only we will surrender our brokenness to him. If we do not, our brokenness can turn to bitterness.

Brokenness through our own choices or sin

In the Bible, King David (called a man after God’s own heart) made some bad choices. He slept with Bathsheba, whose husband was away at war fighting for Israel, and then he had her husband killed in battle to prevent him from finding out about their infidelity. Sometimes we, too, choose our own way. In Psalm 51, we see that David was broken before God over his sin. Because of David’s repentant heart, the Lord restored him. Just as God’s grace, love, and forgiveness were overflowing toward King David, we, too, can experience restoration from this type of brokenness—when we confess our sin and surrender that brokenness to the Lord.

Brokenness through empathy

In John 11, one of Jesus’s dear friends, Lazarus, died. Lazarus’s death was not a surprise to Christ. In fact, he knew he would soon raise Lazarus from the dead. Yet in verse 35, the Bible tells us Jesus wept. Jesus was completely God and all-powerful, but he was broken because the people around him were so broken. As believers, we are called to walk through this life loving others and caring for them as Christ did (John 13:34, Ephesians 4:32, Philippians 2:4). We are called to carry one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). Sometimes our family, friends, coworkers, or even strangers we encounter face such devastation that we are compelled to brokenness through empathy. Walking through such hard times with those who are so broken is heavy and difficult, but it brings us again to that place of vulnerability and transparency before God. Our empathy for others can help bring healing and restoration in our lives as well as in theirs.

We are all broken. But God delights in making beauty out of our brokenness if we will let him. I encourage you to daily surrender your brokenness to the Father. We don’t choose our brokenness, but we can choose whether we will stay broken. Don’t. Let Christ put those broken pieces back together to restore the beautiful vessel he can use for his glory. Because of Jesus, there can always be beauty in brokenness.

Rachel Maxwell is a worship pastor’s wife, stay-at-home mom, and lover of all things chocolate and Disney. As a former elementary school teacher, she has a passion for pointing children to Christ. She entered motherhood two and a half years ago when her daughter, Alexia, came into the picture and rocked her world in the best way possible. Not only has the Lord continued to grow her heart for children, but also for their mamas and for encouraging them to be the moms Jesus wants them to be. Now the Lord is ready to rock her world again as her family awaits the arrival of twins (Jackson and Ruby Claire) who are due in February.

Photograph © Bethany Beams, used with permission

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