TPJ07 | Beauty From The Ashes Of Our Brokenness | 6.23.21

Two things that we're kind of tempted to believe sometimes in those moments is, you know, either God isn't powerful enough or he doesn't love us enough.

And I think something that's big is feeling freedom and peace and even, like you said, even joy from the idea of being dust, I feel like dust. And that's one way that I can describe how I feel right now. But I don't feel embarrassed about feeling like dust.Like, I feel very strong in that because I know that ultimately God is going to make that dust into something.

Hey, this is your host, Ben of the Prodigal Journey.

And this is Brianne from the Coffee Break.

We are doing a dual. Dual episode. I don't know how you want to say it, but we're recording a episode for both podcasts here. And we also have our friend Jennifer.

Hello, Jennifer.

Hello.

With Channel Missions.

Yep.

Hello.

All right.

Well, we wanted to do an episode kind of springing off some of the things we talked about last week on the coffee break. And we want to talk about brokenness and just kind of keep that conversation going a little bit about brokenness. So let's just start basic beginning.What are, what are some misconceptions that people have about brokenness? You guys have any that you can think of?

Yeah, I think we, we talked about before that brokenness is a bad thing all the time. Don't think that's always true. I think brokenness can be good. And like Jennifer mentioned this to me earlier, we've.We've done a lot of Bible studies over the past few, few weeks, and a lot of them have been keying off of broken brokenness. And I think that there's a lot of growth in broke. Brokenness. Being broken isn't a bad thing or something to be embarrassed about.

Yeah, I think sometimes, and we've talked about doors closing and opening, and sometimes with brokenness, it causes us to have to step out of our box and do things that we normally wouldn't do. And God uses that to move us.

Yeah, for sure.

I think a lot of times, as I was thinking about this earlier today, a lot of times people disassociate brokenness and hurt, enjoy. Like they separate the two. But I think I feel like brokenness and joy are just two opposite sides of the same coin.

Right.

And I think you see that a lot in the scripture as well, which we'll talk about here in a little bit of some examples and stuff.But also one thing I was thinking of, too, is a lot of times people when they Hear the word brokenness, people associate it with, like, a really bad sin or somebody who's, like, really worse off than themselves.

I think sometimes people don't think, like, I'm a believer. I can't be broken. Like, God fills me up and, like, I shouldn't be broken. I shouldn't feel this way. You know what I mean?

Yeah.

You always have to have it together.

Right? Right. Yeah.

There's always this perfect picture, smile on.

Your face and always be joyful.

Yeah.

But, yeah, for sure.And I think that's one of the biggest reasons for the title of my podcast, the Prodigal Journey, is because not only do we sometimes live like the younger prodigal son, we live like the older son as well and feel like we have it all together and that we're owed something or that we're not as bad as somebody else.

Right.

And so I think a lot of times it's just hard for people to even see their need for brokenness.

Right.

So with my. Speaking of, like, your title. So with my logo, the call and the name, the coffee break, that was what it was based off of in the picture of my.On my Lego. It's like a coffee cup with broken pieces, and it's glued back together with gold, I guess, gold glue or something like that.But it represents, like, God putting us back together. Um, and you can see those broken parts, like, where we've been broken, but he's ultimately always put us back together.

Yeah, for sure.

But something I've learned from that kind of stemming off of it a little bit is, you know, like, especially in my past, like, with my. With my journey, especially over the past few weeks, I think I've thought about being broken a lot.But there's also a point where sometimes it's completely shattered. And I read a Bible study I would love to share with you guys from Lisa Terkerst.I get it up really quick, but it's talking about the big shattering where, you know, God's put us together many times, but sometimes something big happens and it's just completely shattered. Let me pull it up. Okay. It says, are there any broken places in your heart and life right now? I know how hard that can be.And there's this wonderful Christian story I could tell you. It's the one about how we can pick up the broken pieces, glue them back together, and then let God's light shine through our cracks.That's a beautiful story, but what about those times when things aren't just broken, but shattered beyond repair? Shattered to the Point of dust. At least when things are broken, there's some hope. You can glue the pieces back together. It's hard to hold dust.What was once something so very precious is now reduced to nothing but weightless powder even the slightest wind would carry away. We feel desperately hopeless. Dust begs us to believe the promises of God no longer apply to us.That the reach of God falls just short of where we are, and that the hope of God has been snuffed out by the consuming darkness all around us. But what if fixing, editing and repairing isn't at all what God has in mind for us in this shattering?What if this time God desires to make something completely brand new right now, on this side of eternity, no matter how impossible our circumstances may seem? You see, dust is the exact ingredient God loves to use. We think the shattering in our lives could not possibly be for any good.But what if shattering is the only way to get dust back to its basic form so something new can be made? We can see dust as a result of an unfair breaking or. Or we can see dust as a crucial ingredient? Dust doesn't have to signify the end.Dust is often what must be present for the new to begin. So I love that.Just the idea of being broken down to dust so that God can use that brokenness and that hurt and pain for something good and something new.

That's where man started, right?

There's many times throughout the Bible where God mentions using that, using dust.And I think something that's big is feeling freedom and peace and even, like you said, even joy from the idea of being dust, because that's how I feel in this present moment. You know, I've shared a lot about my journey over the past few weeks, especially last week, and I feel like dust.And that's one way that I can describe how I feel right now. But I don't feel embarrassed about feeling like dust.Like, I feel very strong in that because I know that ultimately God is going to make that dust into something cool.

It's awesome.

What do you.

So for you guys, what do you think? Like, what does brokenness mean to you guys? What does it look like?

Maybe some vulnerability, being vulnerable. And I don't know, I think for.

Me, I like to have everything, like, together.

Yeah.

Yeah. So when I'm broken, I feel inadequate to one, help somebody else. How can I help somebody else if I'm broken and my cup is not overflowing?So I would say that for me, I feel inadequate to help. And that's ultimately what we're supposed to do. I mean, we're supposed to pick somebody else up.So for me, brokenness causes me not to be able to do that. And I'm a suppressor, so I'll take everything and just push it down.And that's what I've been dealing with lately is a lot of things that I push down that I've been able to let go of and lay at the foot of the cross.

So, yeah, I think when I think about brokenness, I just.Like, this kind of goes back to one of the misconceptions we talked about, but just sometimes feeling like it's for people who have really bad sins or who you feel are worse off than you.But really brokenness, to me, I mean, it's just somebody in the sense of, like, when we think of this side of the brokenness is like experiencing someone who's experienced God's grace in their own life and is able to recognize that and see. See that in their life.So whether it's, you know, whether it's somebody who's trying to keep it all together and keep all the rules and, you know, live that way, or somebody who's utterly, like, at the end of their rope, so to say, in their lives and just, you know, hit that wall in rock bottom. So on both extremes, I mean, you know, you can see and experience brokenness when you allow the gospel to penetrate that darkness. And so I.That's what I think of brokenness in that sense. But I mean, there's so many different. It's such a broad topic. You know, we could sit here and talk forever about different nuances of brokenness.

But.

But yeah, I think you were talking.

About light and dark. And I just read this the other day. I remember where it came from, but the light shines the brightest in the darkness.And I think what all we go through when it does seem dark, that that's when his light shines brightest for us.

Yeah, for sure. Since you brought that up, Jennifer, let's.Let's kind of talk about some examples from scripture, I mean, because that's really what we want to go back to.And I think what ultimately kind of started this discussion for us was last week, you guys on the coffee break, we're talking about the passage in Mark 4, and, you know, the disciples and Jesus had gotten on the boat. They were going to the other side, and they just got stuck in this fierce storm.And I was just thinking about that aspect of brokenness, and that actually was a sermon at our church this past week.And so just seeing A lot of that come together and seeing, like, a lot of guys, A lot of what you guys have shared with me over the last week and some of the things I've experienced, like just seeing God work in those ways through those, you know, passages and stuff, it's just been awesome to see that.So two things, though, that from that passage that we were challenged with on Sunday was so first of all, we see, you know, that Jesus is sleeping in the boat during the storm. But it. So it kind of. It shows his human side and he's exhausted from all the teaching they've been doing all day.And so it shows his human side and how he's able to identify with us in that aspect. But, like, even when he. They wake him up and he.He calms the storm, like, it shows his absolute power as well, because, you know, the nature responds to his very words. And so just to see those two extremes, like that is. Was pretty helpful.But one thing I was, you know, two things that we're kind of tempted to believe sometimes in those moments is, you know, either God isn't powerful enough or he doesn't love us enough. And that's something I've had to keep in mind this week. Walking through some, you know, of my own brokenness and walking through.Through it with some other people as well.

So we think we aren't lovable.

Yeah.

Like when you, you know, do whatever, mess up whatever, you think you're not lovable. And he loves us regardless of what we do.

Yeah. And in those moments, then we feel like we have to somehow try harder because we've feel like we've lost favor with God or.

Right.And I think that trickles into relationships here too, like human relationships, you know, when you don't think you can be lovable or you can't love, I think it all kind of trickles down from that.

Yeah.

Yeah, for sure. And there was another example we had.When I think of brokenness, I think of David in Psalm 51, after he's been confronted, you know, in his sin, you know, and everything that was going on in that passage. And then we get Psalm 51. So, Brianne, why don't you read through that?

Okay. Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love, because of your great compassion. Blot out the stain of my sins.Wash me clean from my guilt, Purify me from my sin. For I recognize my rebellion. It haunts me day and night. Against you and you alone have I sinned. I have done what is evil in your sight.You will be proved right in what you say. And your judgment against me is just, for I was born a sinner, yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.But you desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there. Purify me from my sins and I will be clean. Wash me and I'll be whiter than snow. Oh, give me back my joy. Again. You have broken me. Now let me rejoice.Don't keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.Do not banish me from your presence, and don't take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach you your ways to rebels, and they will return to you.Forgive me for shedding blood, O God, who saves. Then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness. Unseal my lips, O Lord, that my mouth may praise you.You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.Look with favor on Zion and help her rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then you will be pleased with the sacrifices offered in the right spirit, with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings.Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.

In hearing that with David, just his whole life, it just reminds me that even when we mess up and we are broken, that there's healing. Jesus came through that line. And it helps me to know God still used him in a mighty way with everything that he did. What?Adulterer, murderer, like everything. And God still used him.

Yeah. And God still considered him a man after his own heart.And so it's awesome to see those stories and how for us, I mean, God can use us in our own brokenness and use it to his glory. So that's always awesome to see that.

I think Me and Brianne were talking this week about Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, the fiery furnace. And when we're put in the fire that we on fire.

We on fire.

That's the word, fire. That he still uses us. And he's still with us because he was, the scripture says, wasn't there only three in there? And there were actually four.So he's still with us in the Fayo.

Yeah. So another thing that Jennifer and I actually read this week from Lisa Terkers,.

Again, her new book, they're not sponsors.

No sponsors. Her new devotion, Seeing Beautiful Again is incredible.But it's talking about different points in your life that you've seen hurt and pain and that it's still. Your life can still be beautiful through Christ. And one thing it was talking about through here was hurting, but still hoping.That is the human journey. So I think hope can come from all of this, and that's what we need to focus on. But I'm just going to read a little bit of this.Our hope can't be tied to whether or not a circumstance or another person changes. Our hope must be tied to the unchanging promises of God.We hope for the good we know God will ultimately bring from our situation, whether the good turns out to match our desires or not. And sometimes that takes a while. The process often requires us to be persevering and patient. Honestly, I know that can feel a little overwhelming.I want the promised blessings of Psalms 44. Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust. But I forget that this kind of trusting in God is often forged in the crucible of long suffering.God isn't picking on me. God is picking me to personally live out one of his promises.

Yeah, I think we do feel that way sometimes that God's picking on us when we go through.

But when she put it in that, I never heard it, like, in that way.Like he's picking us to personally live out one of his promises so that other people can see that brokenness in us and see our faith in Christ and our hope in Christ never changes. That can. That can lead people to Christ right there, you know?

Yeah. Honestly, think when we go through things like that and we are broken, we're going to come in contact with somebody who's broken.Brianne and I had a lady. We were out to lunch the other day, and we both just felt led. It was a.

You have to explain the thing, though, because we weren't planning on going. We were like, very far away from the restaurant.

I feel like you two are always out.

We haven't told this.

I know, right?

We never invite you, though. I'm sorry, Ben.

Yep. So we were a good ways away from this restaurant, and I was like, do you like Chili's?

And she was like, we're not sponsored by Chili's.

We're not, but you can if you like. So we drove a little further, went to Chili's and.

A little further. It was a lot of it further. But anyway,.

But. So anyways, so we sit down and this young mom comes in who has a little kid and she's very pregnant. Yeah. So we Both feel led.

You could see the sadness in her eyes. Brokenness in her eyes. You could see it.

Yep. So we went over and spoke with her, bought her lunch and felt led to help her out a little bit. And she immediately started crying.

Yeah. Said it's been a really. Jennifer walked up to her to begin with and said, how are you doing? And you know, she doesn't know Jennifer at all. She goes.She starts crying and said it's. It's just been a really hard past few weeks. And you could just see it in her eyes. Yeah.

And Brianne hugged her eyes first. Can I hug you? So, but it was really cool to see. We've all been there, we've all been broken.But to be in tune and feel the Holy Spirit leading you to and.

Somewhat use what I've been feeling inside, some brokenness that I've been feeling and seeing how I could use what is hurting me right now to bless someone else. I think that's what God wants us to use our hurting and our pain for.Not to always see brokenness like, like we said in the beginning, not as a bad thing, but as a tool maybe.

Yeah, sometimes I'm bad. I call it turtling it so turtle.

Turtling into your shell.

You go into your shell. When you experience things, you. Instead of using it, you go into your shell. So it's cool when we remember and we let him use all things.

Yeah, we talked about that some last week on the episode. Just how we. So many times we miss those opportunities because we're so caught up in our own things that are going on.And you know, and like we also said before we started recording, like there's so many different types of brokenness. Like we could. There's brokenness over. Like we saw in Psalm 51, that was brought on by his own sinful choices.And there's brokenness from hurtful things other people do to us.But really the thing that doesn't change is the fact that God's promises in those moments are always the same and he's going to be unchanging through all of that, which is really encouraging to know that no matter where that brokenness is coming from, he's. He's going to be the same.

Yes.

Right. So I've read something else this week. I'm going to share it because I think fear comes and being scared comes from being broken.So this is something cool about connecting it to God. Just when fear seems to have you in its grip, you realize that a slight shift of letters of perspective Changes scared to sacred.Sacred means something connected to God, something not of this world, something that deserves our reverence. When our weary hands lay down those trials at his feet, he transforms them into something sacred, something that connects us to him, something.Something not of this world, something that deserves our reverence. Sacred is difficult to describe, but unmistakable when experienced. The opportunity for our nothingness to be offered as something.The reality that in this world full of trials and despair, we are not alone because he is with us. And that was from Type Wonderland by Elizabeth Maxson. Not sponsored, but I have worked with her.

Exactly. It's a good book. Yeah.

But I think that comes.We feel so scared and, like, terrified during those moments that break us, but just again, putting our trust in him, like the Psalm said, and just knowing that he's always with us. Like I always say in the coffee break, a million times.

Yeah, one.One other thing I definitely want us to talk about at least, is when we think about us being broken, I. I mean, I've talked about this before, but I grew up in a culture, a church culture, where nobody really ever talked about brokenness. I mean, you heard it talked about, but in church, like, everybody was happy, had a smile, you wore the best clothes.

Oh, yeah, for sure.

Had to have it all together.

It's all about an image.

Yeah. Yeah. So when I think about being broken, it makes me think of, like, what does that look like?To be vulnerable and surround ourselves with people who we feel are safe for us in those moments that aren't going to judge us, you know, and are going to walk through those things with us. And I think that goes back too, to people, you know, finding.Surrounding ourselves with those people who have also experienced God's grace and their own brokenness.

Right.

Do you guys have any thoughts on that?

I think that's something I've had a hard time with in my life. I'm a little bit younger than the.Then Jennifer and Ben, but like, as I've grown, grown up and like, people that I've come in contact with, I think I've been disappointed by people a lot and not been able to fully trust different situations and circumstances, Circumstances in my life had just kind of shut down that trusting thing that I just can't do it. Like, I have a really hard time trusting people.And I think that is a problem because when you're shut off from, like, community and people that love Jesus too, and that want to fill you up and feed into you, then it can be very isolating and very. It can feel very alone and I've definitely experienced that.But then coming on the other side of it and finding people that I can trust, which the two people sitting here, like, I very, so much feel like I can trust you guys and feel like God, you know, led me into the relationships with you guys to be able to understand that trusting can happen here. Like, you can trust other people besides just the Lord.Like, he's given you people that can be in community with you and fill you up and ultimately always lead you back to him in times of need and in times of brokenness.

I think for me, talking about church, when. When you're broken there, for me it's. You're not supposed to be like, honestly, you know, you're supposed to have it together.If you go, I know the churches I've been in, you're down front broken. There's something wrong, like you've done something wrong. And that's kind of a what you get labeled as instead of it being a healing.

Did they have invitations at your church?

Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, did you see?

So my story is a little different than Yalls because, like, I grew up in a traditional church up until like age 5, 6ish. And then we went into the house church. So I don't really. I never experienced, like, going down to the altar.

Yeah. So I always. I always felt like people were judging you. Like, oh, why? Why did he go forward? So.

Yeah.

And, well, getting like. Like feeling nosy. Like they want to be nosy about it. Is that what you mean? Like you feel like they want to know everything or.

No, I feel like it's. You've done something wrong.

I'm high in my.

Yeah, yeah, I get you.

I don't need to go down front.

Oh, yeah, I understand. Okay.

Yeah.

Sorry.

Yeah.

I'm a heathen over here,.

But I feel like too.We've talked about this before, too, but creating that culture for other people outside of us is just sharing our own stories of brokenness and just being vulnerable with. With people.

Yeah.

Creates an atmosphere where people feel like, okay, well, this person doesn't feel like they have to be perfect and have it all together. So they're just normal. Like me.

So. Yeah. I think broken people are absent from the church scene. Yeah. Some broken people because they're like, you're.

Not worthy to be there.

I'm broken, so I'm not going to go into church.

Yep. And it should be the opposite. Yeah.

Why are you looking at me? Ben's giving me a look, guys. She sounded not doing a video.

She Sounded a little Canadian there. She said, I feel like, do my Russian next day. Broken. People are broken. People are missing from the church.

Yeah.

Is that a question or a statement?

I don't know. Do you want me to raise my hand next time before I speak?

Raise your hand. Yeah.

So you're saying you feel like those people are missing from the church or they just.

No, there's definitely broken people in the church that don't speak up. But also there are people out in the streets that are broken and too afraid to walk into a church building for the fear of being judged.

Oh, yeah, for sure. Yeah, I saw that all the time. Yeah.

Yeah.

That's why your missions nonprofit, your mission channel.

Mission.

Your missions.

It's an opportunity to reach people where they're at, just out in nature. You know what I mean?

So. Yep. And it does make a difference. We. We had a pastor tell us one time that we could reach people. He couldn't.Because when you come into church, you do put up walls, right? Yeah. You throw up all kind of walls, and it didn't matter, you know, what he said or anybody did. Those walls aren't going to be broken.

That's not what God called his church to be.

Exactly. Yep. Another podcast.

Another. So sorry, we just came up with a new topic for next week.

Yeah, there you go. Yeah.

And then join us next week.

And a lot of times the people you.You can always pick out, the people who haven't necessarily experienced the brokenness in their own life is because when you share something with them and you're vulnerable, then. Then it.It's followed by all of the cliche scripture sayings and Christian sayings that intentionally or not, are just hurtful and they don't realize it. And yeah, sometimes you don't. You don't need people in that moment to say things like that. You just need people to be there.

Right. Yeah. Listen, I feel that that's why God gave you two ears in one mouth.

She tells my three year old that on a daily basis. Oh.

Just trying to help.

All right, well, I think that's all we have for this episode. I mean, we could keep talking on it, but I think that's a good place for us to wrap it up. And yeah, definitely, we need to do a part two. We will.But that's it for this episode.

Yeah. Thanks for joining.

Thanks, guys. Thanks for tuning in. Thanks for tuning in to the prodigal journey where we celebrate Christ's power through our weakness.This podcast is available on all major platforms, so be sure you go and subscribe or leave us a review. Also, if you'd like to reach out, you can reach me, ben@theprodigal journey.com that's Ben@theprodigal journey.Com.Tune in next time to the Prodigal Journey.