Broken

‘Unbroken‘ was one of the best books I’ve read. I’m still waiting to see the movie. I can’t imagine how difficult it would have been to endure all the intense brutality and suffering those soldiers experienced. We admire their ability to remain unbroken. But I want to focus here on why it’s important to actually become broken.

Consider the egg. There are so many uses for eggs besides enjoying them as food. They’re used in cosmetics, glue, first aid, plant food and jewelry. But as a food source, who doesn’t love the taste of eggs? Our son, Elijah, loved eggs. He ate them almost everyday, and would remind us how inexpensive they were compared to other food. He would even order egg white cartons by mail. The last meal I ever cooked for him was a large bowl of scrambled eggs with bacon and cheese.

Eggs are delicious all by themselves, but they are great for enhancing other foods. First, they can be used as a binder. Second, they can be used as a leavening agent in baking. Third, they can be used to add flavor. But before you mistake this as a food blog, let me get to the point. It doesn’t matter how nutritious, tasty and useful eggs are if they remain in the shell.

What happens if an egg is never broken? If the egg stays in the shell, it rots. When it rots, it stinks. The smell of rotten eggs is even added to natural gas as a warning indicator because it smells so bad. An unbroken egg is worse than just a waste of potential. It’s repulsive.

So here’s the catch. The eggs we use for cooking are never going to break themselves. For us to take advantage of the many qualities of eggs, the shell has to be broken from the outside.

Anyone of us who has lost a loved one knows what it’s like to be broken. Among my first conversations with God after we lost Elijah was to ask Him how I could ever be put back together again. Sort of like the Humpty Dumpty syndrome. But I’ve realized that being broken is a necessary first step to God using us.

We don’t even know necessarily how God will use us. Maybe he will use us as a binding agent to help bring people together. Maybe he will use us as leaven to help raise awareness of heavenly priorities. Or maybe he will simply use us to help others enjoy the flavor of His daily bread. But none of that happens until we have first been broken.

“The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God” (Psalm 51:17).

The next time you feel broken, try giving thanks to God that He didn’t allow you to rot in your shell. And start looking around at how God will be able to use you to enhance the lives of others. Once broken, He will not abandon you.

Please ‘like’ and ‘share’ this post as you find it helpful and inspiring. Thank you.

-Ken Buchanan