Broken: having been fractured or damaged and no longer in one piece or in working order; (of a person) having given up all hope; despairing.

Broken. Messy. Imperfect. Weak. Damaged. Crushed.

Brokenness comes from experiences that leave us damaged, drained, or hurt. Experiences that change our perspective or the way we live. We have all felt broken at some point, gone through something that has left a painful impression in our lives. We’ve gone through pain that makes us feel heavy and unworthy. We don’t see or understand the purpose of that pain, but God does and He wants to give it purpose and use it in a beautiful way.

“Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble;

My eye wastes away with grief,

Yes, my soul and my body!

For my life is spent with grief,

And my years with sighing;

My strength fails because of my iniquity,

And my bones waste away.”
(Psalm 31:9-10, New King James Version)

Brokenness means different things for every individual. We have all gone through some sort of brokenness - physically, mentally, emotionally, or possibly all three.

We’ve been hurt by people, by situations, by our own selves. We’ve been broken by words, by actions, by sin, or by experiences. Somehow, someway - we have all been hurt and damaged.

Experiencing brokenness is a terrible emotion that leaves you empty and desolate; it brings you pain and sometimes loneliness, breaking you to pieces and in complete despair. It is painful to live with that feeling, to feel shame or agony. It is hard to endure the pain and to wrap our heads around this new ”normal” that brokenness brings, to live with a hurt deep inside your heart and soul. It is not easy and it hurts more than we can bare.

What ugly brokenness brings inside of us, almost bringing some sort of darkness into our being. Nowhere in sight do we see how this pain will bring any good to us, and trying to understand the idea that we will have to live with this pain for the rest of our lives seems impossible. Nothing can take that pain away. But we are wrong, because God knows otherwise. To us brokenness is ugly, but to God, our brokenness is beautiful.

“Our brokenness becomes beautiful when it magnifies God’s grace.”

I recently read this quote and pondered deeply on its meaning. Brokenness can mean many things, but ultimately demonstrates a greater need for God - a need for Him to come and restore who we are.

We are not perfect beings; we fall, we fail, we sin, we are weak, and we are fragile. Constantly in need to be restored by our Father. Our brokenness makes us vulnerable, it humbles us, and it makes us seek God in ways we would never in different circumstances. He wants to use our pain to bring His greatness into our lives, to bring healing and joy, and to bring us closer to Him.

Our pain and our imperfection opens our heart to trust God and to trust His goodness and everlasting mercy. It opens our hearts to His word and to His presence, making our lives a testimony of His greatness. God wants to use our imperfections and our mess that we have brought for Him to restore to share with others, to inspire, bring hope, and lead others to Him.

He wants to use our mess and our weaknesses to be a testimony for the rest of the world. Our brokenness magnifies God, because His restoration and His goodness reflect in our healing for everyone to see. Brokenness brings a special vulnerability that allows God to step in and show us His grace. Only He can take something we deem as ugly and transform it into something beautiful. Our story, our mess, our imperfections, and our weaknesses magnify who God is when we allow Him to step in and let Him be God.

“But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
My times are in Your hand;
Deliver me from the hand of my enemies,
And from those who persecute me.
Make Your face shine upon Your servant;
Save me for Your mercies’ sake.”
(Psalm 31:14-16, NKJV)

Seeking God and crying out for His presence is the first step we must take in our brokenness to allow Him to come in and restore what was broken. He will take all the ugly and transform it into something beautiful. He will take us broken and restore us. He will take our pain and turn it into joy. He will take our story and prove to the world how great His love is. Our story, our pain, magnifies God when we allow Him to come in, when we seek His presence, and when we give Him our brokenness. We are magnifying Him when we let Him be God in our brokenness, and when through our story others see His grace in our healing.

“My flesh and my heart my fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
(Psalm 73:26, NKJV)