Brokenness and Forgiveness

2014/February by Marji Laine 4 Comments

I confess; I’m a crier. I often gauge how much I enjoy a book by how deeply it touches me. And nothing affects me more than the black moment of a character. The point in which the hero has lost everything that matters to him. With nothing of value left, he surrenders.

It’s the turning point of a book, the time when the hero empties himself and changes the course of his life. But just as literature is a reflection of life, so is the hero’s arch a reflection of the believer’s walk with Christ.

Reba Hoffman, from My Book Therapy, mentioned in a chat the other night how we don’t get as close to the Lord during the good times as we do during the rough patches. It’s in the pit that we find our strength in the Lord. And scripture bears that out.

Ps. 34:18 “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

At the times when we are at our lowest, the Lord comes close. His strength is made perfect at our weakest moments, so that even in the worst trials of our lives, we can have assurance of comfort. Of peace.

We rejoice with ease when the sun shines and the details fall into place. Joy comes through as well, with the knowledge that the God who gives peace is carrying us along. The verses and promises tend to sound trite in the midst of the storm, but looking back on some of our lowest times, the Lord reveals His tenderness.

John 14:18 “I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you yet again.”