Not just a 'make-do' repair

It was Ernest Hemingway who reminded us, "The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places." What are the 'broken places' of your life? Go ahead - for a moment or two - just ponder that one and begin to call those 'broken places' by name. You have them and you likely have attached some sort of 'name' to those broken places - like divorce, death, or defeat. You defined those broken places by an event or some outcome in life. Now, look again at those broken places and describe some of the strength that has come out of that place. What name does that strength bear? It was likely easier for us to put a name to our 'broken places' than it was to put a name to the strength that was worked into us because we were broken. We remember what 'broke us', but we oftentimes don't recall all that has happened in our lives that help to mend those broken places into even stronger ones.

A broken spirit is my sacrifice, God. You won’t despise a heart, God, that is broken and crushed. (Psalm 51:17)

Chances are that you can describe a strength of character that has come out of those broken places in your life -  a strength of character that is far outside whatever your 'natural response' would have been to those circumstances. What is character anyway? I think God would describe it as those things that we eventually put into our lives that some call 'habits'. When character has been developed, the results are 'reproducible' time and time again. Where God has turned broken places into a place that reflects his strong, moral character within a man or woman, the resulting action is this ability to 'reproduce' with consistency that right response to life's challenges. Instead of the 'broken place' dominating our lives, it becomes a springboard that launches us into new actions.

Sometimes we are guilty of allowing the broken places to shut us down - to cause us to just march in place for a while. Instead of becoming a springboard, they become wallow pits! To be free of the pit is our goal, but our heart is content to just wallow for a while. That is the problem with broken places - they can lure us into the wallow pit. You know who lives right next door to the broken place? That neighbor is the 'feel sorry for me' family! My BFF and I took a ride through a very old mining community this week. As we made our way through the old neighborhoods, one thing stood out to me. The clapboard and adobe buildings still stood and many were still with families in residence. Some were bolstered in very unsightly ways, but they still stood.

What did the bolsters do for those homes. They allowed all the broken places to just be 'shored up' a little so they home was in a 'make-do' kind of state of repair. The thing about God is that he isn't a 'make-do' kind of God. When he sets to repairing the broken places of our lives, we sometimes he is busy tearing down those places a little bit, exposing just how much damage has been done. Then he sets about to build us up stronger than we were before. This is why God asks us to bring our broken spirit to him - as a sacrifice laid completely on the altar. He wants to make those places stronger - not just 'healed'. He wants us to live in such a way that we don't need the bolsters - because the walls of our emotions, spirit, and mind are all whole again. Just sayin!

Hey, can you take a look at me?

A farmer or rancher relies on his barn because it serves a variety of purposes. If he raises livestock, it can house the feed and provide shelter for an occasional animal from his herd. If he is a farmer, he may store his much needed farm implements within it and give shelter to his tractors. It could be it is a 'catch-all' for all the various tools of his trade, but without it those tools would be subject to the weather and loss. We may not fully realize or value the true value of the barn until it is in need of repair!

My sad life's dilapidated, a falling-down barn; build me up again by your Word. (Psalm 119:28)

Reduced to ruin or decay, that old barn is not going to be of much use to the farmer. It could have occurred due to neglect - the owners simply not making any investment into keeping it up. It may be a result of simple age because we all know nothing lasts forever. Or maybe it is just occurs because of a lack of resources - the owners unable to keep it up because their source of income dried up due to a turn of events. Regardless, the building could just stand in total ruin - beyond repair. The most desirable thing for the owner to do is to tear it down. As the dilapidated building stands in that state of ruin or disrepair, it becomes a fire hazard, an entrapment potential, and an eye-sore.

Have you observed the condition of your "barns" lately? I am not speaking of a literal "barn" here - but the condition of your mind, emotions, and spirit. You see, our minds are like big "barns" - housing all kinds of "stuff" we "put away" for future use. Without the proper "maintenance", these "barns" fall into disrepair. Our emotions are like the house that once provided shelter to the many inhabitants - they can be warm and welcoming, or turn cold and scary when left without attentive care. The spirit is where we make connection with God - like the barns of old, it becomes a storehouse of great comfort when times are lean.

The "barns" of our life don't "fall into" disrepair overnight. They are "worn down" by what the "elements of life" throw at them. They stand in need of repair because the investment of time and energy is no longer made to "keep them up". They no longer seem to serve us well - simply because we have neglected them so long! The only hope for "repair" is outside of our control - so we need to go to God with the request: "Build me up again!" There is a state of mind, a condition of our soul, and a desperation in our spirit that makes God the only hope for our "repair". In Christian circles, we call this being "restored" - being brought back to useful / productive condition. Our only hope for restoration is if God does the work. How does God choose to do this work of restoration? It is through the skillful application of his Word. The Word is the source of all we need to go from a place of dilapidation in mind, emotions, or spirit, into a place of restored usefulness.

We often don't know the condition of our "barns" because we don't stand back long enough to see them through the eyes of another. This is why God gives us accountability partners in life - people who help us see the true condition of our "barns". We are too close to our "barns" every day. Those that pass by or through our lives, observing it from "outside", have the "bird's eye view" of the place. They see the missing shingles, the blown off roofing tin, the leaning beams, and the cracked seams in the mortar. Maybe it is time for a full "inspection" of our barns! In order to recognize the need for repair, we often need the insight of another set of eyes! Just sayin!