Broken Bones

I want to {attempt to} paint a picture for you:

You are running wildly through a field of flowers, all is beautiful and well. Suddenly you are tripped by a rut - it caught you so unexpectedly, like a sucker punch to your body. You fall and you break your radius, the bone in your forearm. Whether its a greenstick, comminuted, or transverse fracture, it doesn't matter - you have broken your arm.

You have two choices. You can take yourself to the Doctor and have it x-rayed, allowing the Doctor to begin the appropriate mending immediately, OR you can pick yourself up and let it heal on its own, without the help and knowledge of the Doctor.

Let's say you choose the latter. You don't go to the Doctor and you continue life with a broken arm. For the first few days and weeks, the pain will be ever so present. You will cautiously move your arm so nothing will touch it, you will hide it from others so they don't tell you you're crazy for not going to the Doctor. When others are around, you will pretend as though you have no broken arm, even though its all you can think about. When you are alone, you will be able to relax a little bit, not worrying about hiding from others - but you still are not allowing your arm to heal correctly. Slowly, your arm is healing improperly, without any correct direction, creating the possibility of a pain that will last forever. Years pass by and your bone pieces have mended, but not healed completely or correctly. You may or may not choose to see if a Doctor can re-brake your bone in order to reset it, in hopes to have proper healing at last. If he can, you have to face this pain of being broken again. Broken to the core {of your arm}. If only you had chosen to visit the Doctor immediately, so many years ago. You may forever have this gnawing pain, this incorrectly healed bone, that cannot flourish or be used to its full potential.

Let's go back to our choices. Say you decide to pay the Doctor a visit immediately. He x-rays it and, behold! Your arm is obviously broken, and the Doctor knows exactly how to mend it properly. Sticking it in this awkward cast seems odd, but you will trust Him because you know He is the Doctor - He is a master in the mending business, that is one if His purposes. Because you went to the Doctor in search of immediate healing, you are able to use your arm to its full potential so much sooner, had you not gone into the Doctor. Your arm will likely be able to perform and enjoy many activities in years to come.

Does this sound similar to the brokenness of our hearts, our spirits, our souls? In the trenches of tragedy, in the midst of pain, we can choose to deny it or face it. We get to choose to visit the Doctor who gives life and heals all, or ignore it and harden our hearts, "healing" incorrectly. We can be real-hearted or we can be hard-hearted. Beneath the improperly-healed heart is brokenness. Has there been something in your life you have hardened your heart towards, moving on quickly without grieving or mourning, and hidden the brokenness beneath the hardness? Have you run from healing, because it is painful? We must stop running from healing; it seems the easy decision, but I assure you that it isn't. Many years later, that pain will spring up and out of your heart, barfing all over those you care the most about.

I plead with you to face the pain now. I plead with you to run to the Doctor, to Jesus who made you, He is with you if you want Him to be. He will heal you if you ask Him to. It may not be immediate, but it will happen. Beauty will rise from ashes. I invite you to seek Jesus and His all healing love.

Friend, I applaud you for choosing to face the pain, even at the risk of others not caring, ignoring, making fun of you, or whatever reason. It is an honorable way of life to be real and begin the journey of healing. It is heroic. Ask Jesus every day to lead you into victory, and you will soon be healed.

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed

Psalm 34:18