Key Text: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, oh God, You will not despise.” (Psalms 51:17)
What does it mean to be “broken”? And further, what does it mean to be “broken together”? These words are the title of a Casting Crowns song that really personifies a core value for me – vulnerability with one another, as well as the purpose for my blog.
All of us are “broken,” but many of us aren’t yet aware of it. We can try to look nice on the outside and say all the right things, but deep down there is “nothing good in us” (Romans 7:18). Deep down we are flawed, and we are also in desperate need. We need help to be happy, help to truly love, and help to be at peace (to name a few).
If you are a Christian, then you have recognized and admitted your need when you accepted Christ as your personal Savior. You have followed the aforementioned verse, “the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, oh God, You will not despise.” (Psalms 51:17).
Despite this fact, admitting your need and reaching out for help is not a once in a lifetime occurrence. Paul says, “I die daily” (1 Cor. 15:31), implying an ongoing sense of “brokenness.” On a daily basis, do we recognize and admit our need of help and healing? For example, would you be able to answer the following questions: What are the biggest areas of temptation in your life? Which Ten Commandments are you more inclined to break? As Christians, we should have on ongoing sense of our struggle with the sinful nature.
Secondly, though you may practice repentance to God on a daily basis, do you experience brokenness with those around you? James 5:16 says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” It’s interesting how part of the healing process comes in the community experience. Additionally, Galatians 6:2 tells us, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” So not only is transparency part of healing, it’s also a mandate for us as Christians!
In one of my favorite books, “The Naked Soul,” the author, Tim Gardner, talks about the importance of being vulnerable with other people. In this book, he poses an interesting question…if God could have fulfilled all of Adam’s needs, then why did He choose to create Eve? Could it be because God chose to create Adam with a need for community? A need that God Himself chose not to completely fill? God values authentic relationships so much! That’s why He exists within a triune relationship Himself – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. That’s also why when He was on the earth, Jesus needed His disciples to pray for Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, and He was hurt and disappointed when they failed to do this.
If God Himself needs relationship, then how much more do we flawed human beings need relationships? And by relationships, I don’t mean a simple “How are you?” or “Happy Sabbath” greeting and wave. Instead, I mean naked, unashamed, soulful relationships, the kind where we confide in each other about our fears, temptations, and worries. Just like the early church, we are to be “in one accord.” We are to “break bread and pray together daily” (Acts 2:46). When we enter those church doors each Sabbath, do we know the heartaches of our brothers and sisters in Christ? Do we daily confess to one another, pray for one another, and bear each other’s burdens? If not, then I encourage each one of us to start today. Experience this healing that only comes within the community experience. It has been life-changing for me, and I know that it will be for you as well.