I wish I could see everyone reading this BLOG. If I could I would would ask for a show of hands to the question, “Have you ever experienced brokenness?” Some have, some have not. Some may be in the middle of such an experience right now and are wondering where God is.
Brokenness isn’t fun. In fact, in the moment it hurts, it’s painful, it’s exhausting, and it’s unpleasant. However, brokenness is a pathway to becoming a better parent, better leader, better person, if we allow God’s process do it’s work on us, in us and eventually through us.
Let me take you back to a familiar nursery rhyme.
The Nursery Rhyme
We all love nursery rhymes. We learned them as children and recite them to our own kids as they grow up. When I was a child I never asked my mom the meaning of “Hickory Dickory Dock,” “Jack and Jill” or “Humpty Dumpty.”
I took them all at face value. Yes, the mouse ran up the clock; yes, Jack fell down and broke his crown and of course, all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again.
History tells us that Humpty Dumpty was an egg-shaped character in a Mother Goose nursery rhyme that fell off a wall and broke. If you take this nursery rhyme at face value, you can bet that poor old Humpty Dumpty was broken beyond repair.
He certainly can’t be fixed. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t even put him back together again. The first publication of the nursery rhyme was in 1810 and read like this:
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall;
Threescore men and threescore more,
Cannot place Humpty Dumpty as he was before.
You may have heard it this way:
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall;
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the King’s horses And all the King’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.
If you look closely at the last line you will see the 1810 version differs from the modern one.
The 1810 Version Says They, “Cannot place Humpty Dumpty as he was before.”
The Modern Version Says They, “Couldn’t put Humpty together again.”
To me, there is a big difference between 1810 and now. One suggests that he will somehow look different after his brokenness and the other suggests its over. Today, like the nursery rhyme suggests, when we experience brokenness, we may feel like it’s over, other people may even tell us that it’s over and depending on where you work your employer may tell you that it’s over but let me tell you, it isn’t over! It’s just beginning.
You will look different after you meet brokenness.
You will show signs of experience.
You will have afew cracks.
You will talk different, walk different, be different because you are different. And, that’s something to be thankful for not regret.
The good folks at the palace couldn’t place Humpty as he was before and that’s a good thing! Who would want to go back the way we were before? Brokenness transforms you, if you let it.
Hopefully the hard exterior of our former self was broke during the fall. That's when and where God's power shines through, it's where healing takes place. I like John Wooden's famous quote, “I am not what I ought to be, not what I want to be, not what I am going to be, but thankful that I am not what I used to be.”
What Would Jesus Say To Humpty Dumpty?
1. Why Are You Sitting All Alone?
It’s always best to have someone with you to keep you balanced, stable and give you support. It would be best if you actually had two others with you, not just one. "A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back- to- back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple- braided cord is not easily broken." Ecclesiastes 4:12 NLT. Having someone with you will not prevent those difficult times but they will bring healing to you in the midst of them. It’s better to journey through broken moments with a stretcher bearer on each side of you than to go it alone. (See Mark 2:1-12)
2. I Understand Your Situation
Jesus understands your situation. He’s been there and He is there, with you. He wants to help you where you are. Because Jesus knows us so intimately we have a place of rest, a place of refuge. Those who may appear close to you may run, they may disappear or they may pick up a verbal stone and hurl it your way but that is not God’s way. There are friends who are for us and those who are with us. Jesus is with us! “Whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help." Hebrews 4:16 CEV
3. I Won’t Catch You
Why would Jesus say something like this? “I see you falling, I know you are falling and I will be there when you land.” This may seem unfair and cruel but it’s part of His plan. He is a loving father and good parent. He won’t stop you before you fall but He will be there when you land.
It's hard for Him to watch you fall but once you hit and break He will be there to pick you up and put you back together. To recall the 1810 nursery rhyme, “He will not “place you as you were before,” and that’s the point, isn’t it? He allowed you to fail and fall in the first place. He allowed you to hit bottom, to crack, to come to the end of yourself so He could put you back together a new way, a better way, His way!
Remember Job’s words, "But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold” Job 23:10 NLT. Yes, cracked, different, but Gold!
He came to bring hope to each of our broken lives—to cracked hearts and broken spirits. Jesus came to bring hope and to remind all of us that the ground is not the end of your journey; it’s the beginning of a new one. "It’s, In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again." 2 Corinthians 4:9 CEV
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