The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
Psalm 51:17
Brokenness opens doors that strength keeps shut. We live in a world that prizes wholeness. We hide our cracks and flaws. We post only our best moments online. But God works differently. He values the broken things we try to hide. King David wrote these words after his terrible sins of adultery and murder. He discovered that God didn't want his perfect performance. God wanted his broken heart - honest, humble, and open.
God has always worked through broken people and things. Moses was a murderer with a speech problem. Jacob had a broken hip when he received his blessing. Gideon was the weakest man from the weakest family. Throughout the Bible, God chooses cracked vessels to show His power. Even Jesus, to save the world, allowed His body to be broken on the cross. Before He died, He broke bread saying, "This is my body, broken for you." In God's hands, broken things become powerful.
Brokenness shatters our masks and lets light in. Think about a glow stick. It can't shine until it's broken. The same is true for us. When life breaks us - through failure, loss, or pain - light can finally shine through our cracks. The Japanese practice "kintsugi" repairs broken pottery with gold, making it more beautiful than before. God does something similar with our brokenness. He fills our cracks with His grace, making us more valuable, not less.
Our culture teaches us to hide weakness, but God says to bring it to Him. We use filters on photos to hide flaws. We say "I'm fine" when we're falling apart. We pretend to have it all together. But God invites us to come with our brokenness exposed. He doesn't say, "Clean yourself up, then come to me." He says, "Come as you are, and I'll make you whole." The beauty of grace is that it meets us in our mess, not after we've fixed it.
God never wastes pain when it's surrendered to Him. Every break can become a breakthrough. Every wound can become a doorway. Joseph told his brothers who had sold him into slavery: "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good." This isn't shallow positive thinking. It's the deep truth that when we give our brokenness to God, He can transform it into blessing - not just for us, but for others. Our healed wounds become the places where we can offer healing to a broken world.
Godseekers, don't hide your brokenness - offer it to God instead. There is strange comfort in knowing that God is drawn to broken things. Your failures, wounds, and weaknesses aren't disqualifications from His use. They might be the very qualifications He's looking for. Stop exhausting yourself trying to appear whole. Instead, bring your broken pieces to God and watch what He can make with them. In His hands, your brokenness will become your blessing.
Prayer
God, I bring You my broken places today. Thank You for valuing what the world rejects. Thank You for seeing potential in my pain. Please take my failures, wounds, and weaknesses and make them into something beautiful. Help me stop hiding the broken parts of my life and start offering them to You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Personal Reflection
- What broken part of my life am I still trying to hide from God and others?
- How has God used past brokenness to create something beautiful in my life?
Step of Faith
Today, I will share one area of brokenness with a trusted friend or in prayer with God, choosing vulnerability instead of hiding behind a mask of having it all together.
