something's broken

A year or more ago, I read a line by Ann Voskamp that echoed me so much, that for a long time I had it on my side bar.   It read: "I am a broken momma, of broken children".

I knew I was broken.  {still am}   I was struggling so with the impact of my brokenness.  At the time, though, it was a new thought to consider my children broken.  After all, they all had backgrounds that could easily cause brokenness, and they all had me for a momma, that could easily cause brokenness..and together with me, we are all living after THE FALL, which is a world of brokenness.


and God loves us.   brokenness and all.


from time to time i forget that we are all broken.


i get judgemental of this person's choices, or life style or ways.  i think, they are a christian, they are a leader....they SHOULD NOT do this or that....

last night, my son and i were discussing a perceived misbehavior of someone we both knew....and after i complained about it, my son said: "Mom, he's just human."

ah...yes..he is.  human broken...just like me...

and our brokenness is being tended by Christ, for those who accept his loving balm.  the wounds, the cracks, filled in with grace and love.    but still broken.

and some times we try really hard to look like we aren't broken.  maybe we did not realize that we are still broken people, in a broken world.   and expect the rescue saving of Christ to presto, instantly mend the brokenness.

but it just ain't so.

he does instantly give us his life..but the brokenness of our soul and body is mended slowly, over time,  and not fully, this side of heaven.

so earlier today, I read Ann again, and her new worlds helped me resolve some judgement I was carrying around about a couple other folks.  Ann said:

"if the broken would just love the broken — this might free us all from the chains of rejection."



yes..we are all broken.  and let's just love the broken, realizing it is all of us.  it is letting ourselves and everyone else off the hook of perfection expectations.   Ann goes on to say:

 "God’s putting together all the pieces of the puzzle and He’ll fill what’s still missing with His peace."

yes.  he fills in our brokenness with himself.  he gives peace in the middle of brokenness. 

another friend shared a short passage from a novel she is reading by Beverly Lewis that said:

{{{What if we simply made it our heart's work to pray more and judge less?"}}}

and I thought..yes...yes.  how about that.  pray about those things I was judge and disliking...rather then complaining about them.

our brokenness needs prayers....not complaints

Read Anns wonderful thoughts here: Because  we all have these days: when we are just hanging on by a string.

He is hope.....

via Pinterest

searching for some words on hope tonight...i turned to God's heart expressed through Ann, and to an old hymn.

i've got a mansion

just over the hill top

in that bright land where

we'll never grow old

and one day yonder

we will never more wander

but walk on streets that are purest gold

 Ann's hope words:

When its hard to still keep on hoping: "We bury our swollen prayers in Him who’s raised from the tomb. We lay our hope, full and tender, into the depths of Him and wait in hope for God to resurrect something good. Good always necessitate long waiting."

Why its worth it to keep on hoping:"When hope is infinitesimal, that God may increase it, and when hope is deadened, that God may enliven it, and when hope is craved that it may be found in Christ alone. How in the world can the hurt produce hope? Simply: Lean into the Lord...(tharr be more)and His heart absorbs the hurt and the hope of forever with Him, this is what heals.  Even when we’ve buried pain deep, refused to expose it, and the gnawing about wears us through, us with no hope for the fruit — there’s a Gardner and there’s a miracle and there’s redemption in the barren places."

The importance of family, what he gives in the dark: "In the dark, on the brink of the unspeakable, there’s a power working in the powerless.....We just have to grab each other’s hands, press into the land of His promises. I lean into his tears. “We don’t know what’s going to happen here, Joshua. God’s got a plan and it’s good, always.” His eyebrows betray his questioning...The power that charges the dark is the grace of family. There is a reason that “God sets the lonely in families” (Ps. 68:6)."