“When the Japanese mend broken objects, they aggrandize the damage by filling the cracks with gold. They believe that when something’s suffered damage and has a history it becomes more beautiful.”
~Barbara Bloom
Just a short word of encouragement to all my suffering brothers and sisters.
I believe God loves you (it’s not a cliche) and has a tremendous plan for you. Scripture tells us that we will reign with Him (and the last time I looked, there is no disqualification for being mentally or physically ill).
Having suffered through your whole life will be just an enhancement, a bonus when you finally are held by Jesus, and you can rest in His arms.
Those of us who struggle with depression, mania, and paranoia know a lot about cracks and brokenness. Mixed states, anxiety, and social withdrawal all have taken their toll. Some of us hear voices. Addictions and suicide attempts have made up our past life (and even sometimes try to intrude on the present.)
Some of us have physical disabilities. We come to worship from our wheelchairs and walkers. Some of us are deaf, and others are blind. But we come still. Our hope is in the coming King who promises us a new and fully redeemed Kingdom. There will be no more pain.
I have a dear friend with advancing Alzheimer’s who understands little of what is happening to her, but she still worships God with the rest of the congregation. Before dementia, she was a spiritual marvel. Without a doubt one of the astonishing women I had ever met.
Now however, when she raises her hands, I believe the angels step back in a deep awe.
I just realized this–the angels understand worship, they really do. Praise seems to be their specialty. Each angel that surrounds the throne has a PhD in “worshipology.”
But you know what? They angels really don’t understand our worship out of our pain, weakness, and brokenness.
Let’s worship God with our cracks and brokenness. In John 12:1-7, a woman breaks open a jar of nard on Jesus’ feet, while the other disciples hang back and complain.
But always remember this dear one–it’s only by being poured out that one can release the perfume.
“They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!”
(John 8:7, NLT)
“None knows the weight of another’s burden.”
-George Herbert
Definitely, we must discern motives and false doctrine. We’re to be constantly aware of people and issues that swirl around us–of this, there is no doubt, we mustn’t be ignorant. This is a healthy “discernment.” But we must learn that having discernment isn’t a way that passes out a ‘guilty’ penalty? We are ‘seeing’ things these things–not to pass judgment, but that we might pray clearly and earnestly, and grow into His love for the weak.
But ‘condemning another’ is His exclusive jurisdiction.
It’s far beyond our ‘pay grade.’ He is the final judge in everything. He judges justly and lovingly. He alone knows and understands everything very clearly.
It becomes imperative that we understand this; that any real discernment given is only to intensify and escalate the calling of every ‘saint,’ intercessor, or pastor.
We discern, not to pass judgment, but to pray more clearly and effectively. What you see or sense is for the prayer closet, not before a judge’s bench.
And yet how foolish we are. Do we really have the ability to ascribe a penalty to someone else? Could it be when we decide to throw rocks at certain people we’re in terrible danger of forfeiting our own salvation? “But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matt. 6:15.)
(If you have a ‘rock’ in your hand, you are in definite danger. Please consider this–it’s never easy, is it?)
“Don’t judge others, or you will be judged. 2 You will be judged in the same way that you judge others, and the amount you give to others will be given to you.
“Why do you notice the little piece of dust in your friend’s eye, but you don’t notice the big piece of wood in your own eye? (Matthew 7:1-3)
We are broken people. We struggle with many different things. Some of us are mentally or physically ill. We are not whole yet. Some of us must take meds to help us be ‘normal.’ We deal with issues that would devastate someone else. And we don’t have it anywhere near together.
And yet out of our ‘hot mess,’ we think we can penalize someone else? Really?
We really don’t have a problem with worldly people. We understand that they are lost in their sins, terribly wrapped up in their own personal darkness, and that should definitely disturb us. We must point to the Blood of Christ that forgives us. We share the good news of true repentance and faith. His Spirit teaches us to be witnesses of His love to everyone we meet.
But in light of this, is it not strange that almost all of our judgment is somehow directed at other believers! Why?! For some strange reason, it ‘seems,’ we think that we must pronounce guilt and (by doing so) we declare our own “holy” attitude to our place in the Body. In a weird sense, we think we have the supreme calling to condemn someone else’ walk, and by doing so exalt our own!
“The life of faith is a struggle enough in a broken world without us complicating it for other believers.”
–Jake Colsen
It just may come as a shock to some, but it’s extremely difficult to throw stones at someone when we are busy “washing” their feet.
Granted, “we are to be wise as serpents,” But that same verse instructs us “to be as harmless as doves.” (Matt. 10:16.) A loving meekness and gentleness, need to be combined with intense spiritual power. We must embody “the fruits of the Spirit.” These things are the characteristics of the Spirit-saturated believer.
Jesus washing the feet of His disciples
“The nature and end of judgment or sentence must be corrective, never vindictive; it is always for healing, and never for destruction.”
–John Owen
Perhaps when we judge others, we reveal that we don’t understand what ‘real’ discipleship with Jesus is? Somehow it seems, we really aren’t quite grasping the immensity of His grace on guilty people? Do we really understand His profound love for the fallen? “God so loved the World…” Have we had any idea how patient He is with us? Do we doubt His ability to correct others? (Again, these are awfully hard questions.)
“Judge not lest you be judged.” (Jesus’ words really do scare me sometimes. )
Certainly, I intend to confront the darkness. “You are the light, a city set on a hill!” I am His salt and light and I do shine into this black night. But that is His doing, not mine. I do not generate light on my own. The Bible declares me as ‘self-righteous’ when I try. I am a broken person, who is just starting to understand the scope of my own brokenness and weaknesses. I’m starting to realize I’m not in the position to Judge someone else. I’m not quite healed myself yet and I must not think I can point to someone else as being worse than me.
Quite simply, I can’t throw ‘rocks’ at other believers anymore. I can no longer pass out any condemnation from my own limited understanding. My chief concern right now is to be a humble, earnest Christian who is always ready to forgive those who, in their awful sin and confusion, are hurting others. I’m beginning to see that my calling is to be; a simple servant to my brothers and sisters, nothing more, and nothing less.
“Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. 4 So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist.”
John 13:3-4, NLT
Jesus was always constant. Nothing could erode His place or position. The authority had been His Fathers, and it had been given to Him. He carried it as a special burden, treasured and separating Him. Jesus had the freedom to act like the servant. It didn’t bother or confuse Him, He understood perfectly who He was.
With the supreme authority given to him, he got down on His knees, and began to wash dirty feet. I can offer no magic or flair to adjust this scene. He washed off dirt, cleaned between toes, making filthy feet clean. And all of this ‘as God in human flesh’. This staggered the disciples, perhaps a baseball bat on the side of the head, would’ve been more compassionate.
This was revolutionary, it completely devastated the disciples. They just couldn’t grasp what was happening. Jesus, who was ‘God in flesh’, had decided, in a moment of time, to clean their feet. Outrageous! Not really happening! No way! Never!
The reality.
This spun them around. They tried as fast as possible to process what had just happened, and ‘who’ it had happened from.
Essentially, it buried them. Jesus Christ, as Servant pounded them into the ground. Servanthood was to take the supremacy from this point forward. Becoming an indentured slave was now the way of Christlikeness. This servanthood was to now guide us to a point of slavery.
Gone are the days of Zebedee, when one can ask for a position, on the right or the left. We can ask, most certainly, but we haven’t been the first. We can ask but the sheer weight is against us. So very many have gone before us. We must become a people who accept, and then presses into His grace, His specialness, His presence.
Today, more towels are what we need.
We have got to turn over our ‘need’ for recognition and pick up from the pile the rag of servanthood, we must ‘ask’ our brother/sister if we can scrub their feet. We must get on our knees and do the unspeakable. We must find a way to clean off their feet. This dear one, is what you’ve been told to do.
“There are many of us that are willing to do great things for the Lord, but few of us are willing to do little things.” D.L. Moody
Faith–“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Cor. 5:7
Spirituality–“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” Gal. 5:16
Consistency–“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” Eph. 4:1
Love–“And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.” Eph. 5:2
Wisdom–“Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise.” Eph. 5:15
Light–“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” 1 John 1:7
Christlikeness–“Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” 1 John 2:6
These 7 verses all talk about our walk. Each verse brings us a facet of that walk. We must avail ourselves of every awareness, following Jesus is indeed a “walk.” We take steps that will lead us into an vast eternity with our Savior. We move spiritually from one place to a closer place. We walk forward, and not back. We move ahead, and each day closer to our Lord. Time, you see, only exists to bring us that much nearer to Jesus.
To walk means progression. It also is destiny. Some of the greatest works in literature is the book, “Pilgrim’s Progress,” by John Bunyan. It is a book about walking. We are all walking toward home. It is challenging to make this journey through tremendous issues. We all are making progress as we travel home.
The issues are “faith, spirituality, consistency, love, wisdom, light and christlikeness.” Which of these are we prepared to ditch? If we concentrate on each of these, we find that we can’t give up any of them. They all are dear and fundamental to an authentic faith.
Walking can be strenuous. When we walk it means we have direction and a goal in mind. It is almost never done aimlessly. As we walk, we begin to unfold these seven issues. We will find that the Father inserts us into situations and circumstances where we get to unveil these seven. We will enter into events where we take on certain qualities. As we walk we learn the behavior of our Lord. And that dear ones, can’t be all bad.
Broken Believers 