By: Denny

The title may seem to be an oxymoron, or maybe that I’m a moron for making such a statement. However, the understanding lies in the comprehension of brokenness.  Come on now, who likes dealing with broken things, right? Who jumps for joy when a major appliance goes on the fritz and needs replacing?  “Darlings, (she says on the TV commercial) you need to buy Car Shield insurance, otherwise  you’ll be responsible for paying for that expensive breakdown yourself.” Oh really, imagine that! It’s like I’m not already responsible for paying for all those other things I don’t have insurance to cover. How do they know what I can and can’t afford to pay for anyway.  My suspicions are that more and more things these days don’t last as long as they used to because of the increased use of plastic components. It’s almost like they are designed to break down, so you must fix or replace them sooner. Personally, if I can fix it, I’ll go the do-it-yourself route first before paying someone else to do it. We often view brokenness as a bad thing and an interruption to our otherwise perfect plans. When it happens, our natural reaction is to get emotional, or all bent out of shape. Anger can cloud our thought process, fear of what to do next can paralyze us, and the first thing out of our mouths may be, “Just great!” “Now what?” Which leads to a deeper question of, “Why me, why now?” The answer often lingers and waits for the hidden blessing to catch up with, overtake, and reveal the reason and purpose for the brokenness. The understanding lies in the comprehension, which is why many don’t readily see the value of brokenness. Maybe this will help clarify my point.

We recently returned home from an 18-day so-called vacation in our motor-home. We had been planning our route and made reservations in RV parks and campgrounds months ago. Our first stop after leaving home was a very nice campground in Marceline, Missouri, the town where Walt Disney grew up. We enjoyed visiting the museum and what was left of the homestead farm. Little did we know that the BNSF railroad mainline from Kansas City to Chicago ran through town with two sets of tracks. About every 30 minutes to an hour day and night there were high speed trains running in both directions blowing their horns at every crossing, which became quite annoying for us and our two dogs. From there we parked in the Springfield area for five days out of which it rained for two and we couldn’t do much, which was frustrating. Our next stop was to be three days at Roaring River State Park close to the Missouri and Arkansas border. We had stopped at the Walmart in Monett to get a few things. As we left, I noticed the exhaust was getting louder and louder. It appeared to be the exhaust manifold gasket on the driver’s side of the engine. My first words and thoughts weren’t, “What a blessing!”, but the usual, “Just great!”, “Now what?” Knowing that we would be heading another 30 miles into a remote area on narrow roads with no shoulders, I made the decision to call the campground and cancel our reservation. When you cancel at the last minute you usually don’t get a refund, but given our situation with an unexpected breakdown, they said they’d issue a full refund. The blessing of our brokenness was beginning to be manifested, but I didn’t understand or comprehend it fully yet. We made the decision to head directly to Lucy’s aunt and uncle’s place near Joplin, another 40 miles on flatter straighter roads, which was already on our agenda to spend some time with them. They had plenty of room to park our RV next to his shop. The next day, I crawled underneath to investigate and pinpoint the exhaust leak. It wasn’t the exhaust manifold gasket after all. It was the donut gasket between the manifold and the header Y pipe. That was another blessing and easier to fix compared to removing the whole exhaust manifold from the engine head. I carry along an extra set of tools in the motor-home but was glad I brought my electric impact. To shorten the story, I spent the next two days laying on my back in the grass, in 90-degree humid heat, being bitten by bugs, and taking Dramamine for nausea. Despite all that, I got the job done. It cost $47 for parts (and a chiropractic adjustment when we got home) because I replaced the donut gaskets on both sides. It would have cost several hundreds of dollars in addition to lost time if I had to have a repair shop do the work. The next day Lucy and I decided to take the car and tour the countryside to see if there was any place we’d like to move to when she retires next year. There wasn’t. We ended up somewhat close to Roaring River State Park, so out of curiosity decided to go see what it would have been like had we not cancelled. The roads were narrow and curvy with hills. The last mile into the campground was very steep and curvy and ended abruptly among the campsites. I could just imagine my brakes getting hot having to apply them all the way down that grade with the weight of the motor-home combined with the car being towed behind. We found the spot we would have had and almost simultaneously exclaimed, “That’s it?” It was way too small to fit our 33-foot motor home with the car and tow dolly, and we noticed there weren’t any other motor-homes in the campground either. Suddenly, we comprehended and understood the full blessing of our brokenness and the disastrous results which were avoided. We thank God that he allowed us to see afterwards what he already knew before it even happened. It confirmed to us once again Romans 8:28, And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose.

God specializes in fixing brokenness. Since the very beginning when Adam and Eve sinned, they could no longer remain in the presence of God. The intimate fellowship they once enjoyed was broken and nothing they could do would restore it. All of mankind since then until now has been born into that same spiritual condition. But God said someday he would fix it. Just before Jesus died on the cross, he cried out, “It is finished!” His sacrifice and brokenness became the blessing that healed ours. Everyone has had or is currently experiencing some form or degree of brokenness in their life. Sadly, so many people try to fix their brokenness on their own. They search to fill their lives with many useless things that can never satisfy the empty void that only Jesus Christ was meant to fill. People come to Christ and receive forgiveness and salvation every day, but those who come completely broken seem to have a deeper faith and commitment. They possess a certain calmness and peace when hit with the trials of life, because they comprehend and understand the blessing of brokenness. Their prayers aren’t superficial and come from deep within and touch the very heart of God. Their conversations are less about themselves and what they’ve accomplished and more about what God has done. They are quick to encourage and give aid to those who are in the midst of brokenness. How easy it would be to follow Jesus, if we only experienced the blessings and not the sufferings of brokenness, but then what need would we have of faith, patience, perseverance, and trust in God. There is much more to be said about the value of brokenness and suffering which would take more than this blog post to cover. However, don’t despise the value of brokenness. Your broken situation may be the very vehicle that will bring you to faith in Christ or into a closer relationship with him. In closing, embrace the brokenness and suffering you may be experiencing right now because there is a blessing yet to come and be revealed. God is working in ways He hasn’t shown you yet.

Psalm 30:5  Weeping may endure for the night, but joy comes in the morning.

Psalm 147:3  He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

1 Peter 4:12-13  Dear friends, don’t be bewildered or surprised when you go through the fiery trials ahead, for this is no strange, unusual thing that is going to happen to you. Instead, be really glad-because these trials will make you partners with Christ in his suffering, and afterwards you will have the wonderful joy of sharing his glory in that coming day when it will be displayed. (The Living Bible)