How do you explain brokenness? Do you immediately think of brokenness as being poor or in poverty? While it is true poverty is a form of brokenness, there are also many other forms. Brokenness can also be experienced spiritually, physically, emotionally, mentally, or relationally. Brokenness occurs when we’re not living the way God intended us to live. So, that means we have all been broken in some way or another at some point in our lives.
This last week the word "broken" or "brokenness" came up over and over again. But that’s not what this reflection is about. This is about the words that come along with brokenness, like renewal, mending, and hope.
Here in Atlanta, just like in any other place, there is an abundance of broken people. We could tell you many stories from last week about brokenness. We could also tell you a hundred stories about how God is working to mend the brokenness here, but we'll leave you with one very simple example.
Most people come on mission trips expecting to help bring healing to the broken people they come in contact with.
While acts of service do mend a broken spirit, we have learned that in helping to mend others, we ourselves are mended.
With the ability to fulfill needs, we are able to witness the physical healing of others and gain spiritual, emotional, and mental healing within our own lives.
By giving a man in need a meal, looking him in the eyes, and asking him his name, we are able to restore a little piece of his dignity that society has taken away. Valuing his time, words, and life experience show that man that you respect him and his journey. That little piece of healing, given to that man through our hands, has the ability to shift our whole outlook. The power of serving others is two-fold: transformation takes place in the life of the receiver and the heart of the giver. We often gain, when we allow ourselves to truly serve.
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