I’ll never forget that day when the wheels came off my shiny car speeding down the freeway to happiness. Standing on the side of the road, alone, all of my successes suddenly were empty, hollow. Nothing really mattered — except what mattered.
Friends? Most just dropped away in silence, not knowing what to say. Family? They just didn’t understand. The Church? It’s far too idealistic to really reach the need.
In this state, I needed to learn that there are more important things than this life on earth. I needed to learn about trust and humility. I need to learn about courage that goes beyond words. I needed to learn that there’s Someone who will never turn aside, no matter how messed up you are.
I heard a voice, but I ignored it at first, lost in self-pity. But here’s what it said. “Don’t let this moment pass. Don’t waste the brokenness.”
“The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
— Ps 34:18
The Red Letter Believer is already a marked man or woman. Others are watching, waiting to see the reaction. They already know about your moral life, conquering the temptations and the evils that sprout around you. But just how will you act when it’s all taken away in a Job-like moment? Will you blame others? Will you change yourself? Will you fold? Will you “curse God and die?”
My response hasn’t always been the right one. I cursed the night. I withdrew. I blamed. But, I am learning, slowly, that brokenness is not a curse. It’s a blessing.
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