Broken

I am way overdue for a pedicure.
Now I am certain.

My daughter took a look at my feet and said, "What is that?" I said, "My skin is dry." She said, "Are you broken?"

I guess she's got at point. My skin is broken. And I am broken.

Aren't we all? Our bodies are so limited. When are we ever in a perfect state? Is it when we are first born? So many are born with illnesses and diseases. Is it when we are fearless teenagers? Car accidents change their lives forever. I'm sure it's not when we are elderly; slowly losing our hearing, our vision, our mobility.

My mother announced the other day that she plans to be around for approximately another five years. Five years!!!!! She's only in her sixties! What is she thinking?!

And yet, I can understand exactly why she would say that. Her body is broken. So is mine. And it won't be until we face our maker face to face that we will be made new and perfect. Just imagine a new body that has no malfunctions.

But we aren't just made up of bodies. We have a spirit as well. And unfortunately, our spirits get broken too. More importantly, a broken spirit is much worse than a broken body. If our spirit is broken, we lose hope.

Yet, once again, eternity will make our spirits new!

Tomorrow will be Thanksgiving Day. And I know that around the table there will be many who are feeling broken. What's there to be thankful for? Jobs lost, relationships broken, illnesses, fears, etc.
And yet, brokenness, to me means that I am in need. It means that I am limited and that I need a savior. Without my brokenness, I'd be a self-sufficient very proud person. I'd be very lonely too. And I would not realize my need for a savior. I would not recognize my creator. I would be lost without my Lord.

And so I'm thankful for my brokenness because it keeps me in awe of my maker. It reminds me that I am nothing without Him. And it helps me to live depending on Him.

Hope for eternity. A faithful Heavenly Father. Answered prayers. Perseverance in trials. Strength for tomorrow. Infectious joy. Calming Peace. A humble heart. A Savior who was broken, for me. This is why I'm thankful.


Isaiah 53
4 Surely he took up our pain
and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
stricken by him, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.
6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to our own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.

In Christ, we have a savior that was truly broken on our behalf---dying on the cross so that we could spend eternity free of pain, free of suffering, free of brokenness.

That's something to be thankful for!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 2011!