I listened to a message this morning, by Sarah Jakes Roberts, about brokenness, God’s ability to bring a message beyond a message always amazes me. Somehow, as I listen to words from a human messenger, the Holy Spirit delivers an entirely different message to my soul! Such was the case, today. I began to ponder the phrase “broken open.” The pictures He brought to my mind were so profound that I HAD to share them.
Broken open. Breathe that phrase into your mind for a moment. I presume this word brought a sense of hopelessness to your heart. So often, when we see the word broken, we assume it’s all over for that “broken” thing. We conjure images of smashed toys, shattered vases, busted plates, and wrecked automobiles. When those things break, we must get new ones. They are no longer of use to us.
Are WE broken open?
Is this the same image we have of ourselves? If we have experienced abuse, abandonment, or betrayed, we believe it’s “just the way we are” forever. If we struggle with fear, anxiety, worry, or guilt, we often believe those tendencies to be unchangeable. Do we believe that if we sin or “screw up,” God can’t possibly use us in His kingdom? Let me encourage you, friend. Come with me to examine “broken” from other angles.
What if “being broken” actually makes us useable in God’s upside-down kingdom? Consider these examples of being broken open. Now, remember the perfume samples in glass vials? They were just glass tubes until you broke them open. Then, and only then, breathtaking aromas wafted forth. Until they were broken open, they could not serve their purpose. Another example I remembered was nebulizer machine medicine. This clear liquid comes in clear, sealed, plastic tubes. Only when you break open the top of the tube can you pour the liquid into the machine and use it to open asthmatic airways. Finally, consider a child’s glow stick. In the package, it is just a colored plastic tube. Only when you break it can its light shine forth.
Examples of Broken
As I pondered, I recalled the story in Mark 14:3 where Mary anointed the head of Jesus with nard, a very expensive perfume. To utilize its contents, Mary had to first break the flask. This sacrificial act prepared the body of Jesus for burial,. As a result, its scent overwhelmingly filled the room with fragrance. However, until she broke the flask, the ointment could not achieve its purposes.
Some people refer to believers as “broken vessels.” Vessels are containers that carry. The Bible calls believers “lights” that shine for Jesus and carry the light of His goodness into the world. That thought comforts me. While it is tempting to see “broken” as a bad thing–as something that renders us useless–this concept re-frames the truth.
As we allow Christ to break hindrances from our lives, offering ourselves as vessels of truth, we discover that being broken actually prepares us for His service. Consequently, when we sacrifice our desires and needs at His feet, we allow Him to use us. As He breaks us open, His fragrance and light break forth from the broken vessels of our lives!
Jesus, thank you for using broken vessels. Help us allow you to break our humanness that we might carry your holiness, goodness, and faithfulness to the world. Help us carry and proclaim the richness of your message to all who will listen. In Jesus’ name, amen.