If you were to ask me to write a post about being broken, broken things and ‘brokenness’ I would have to accept your proposal and I would also have to write the post in a story type fashion. You see, sometimes, the only way for me to get my point across crisp and clear is with a story.

So let me begin with a story of ‘Brokenness’ on this day.

The silence in the room was deafening as it echoed throughout the night. The boy lie awake, tormented by his emotions, restless and weary of fighting them hours on end. Trying his best not to give in. He stares up at the blank ceiling. There in that white void in the late hour of the night he finds solitude, comfort and assurance. But not peace. He stares for hours at this ceiling, dwelling on things of the past, dreaming, praying, hoping, wishing. Crying. Crying out, crying for and crying about, the things of the past. Can he find comfort in his tears? Is there rest for the weary? Is there solitude and peace for those who weep and mourn in the late hour of the lonely night? Or is there just pain and despair? Hurt and grief? To what end? How can this be? The boy cries harder with his face buried in his pillow like a weak and feeble infant with no shame. Why would God permit such heartache to pierce the soul of such a young child, a servant of Christ? A doer of good. How could it be? Does the good Lord not hear the cries that is bellowed throughout the night by this young boy? Does he have no care at all for what happens to this child? Does it not concern God one bit? Why, oh why must the good suffer so, while the evil receive so much goodness with so little turmoil or hardships? This is the question the heartbroken boy cries out into the dark and silent lonely night.

Are there answers for this young soul? Is there hope? Or is there only pain and heartache? Alone and tired and broken and scared and so afraid of losing all he has left, for he’s already lost so much. Friends, loved ones, beloved pets. How can such a tormented person go on in this life? Expected to always be smiling, always be shining, always a comfort to those in need in the late hour of their lonely grief. To what end is this tragic pain? To what end? Can others simply not understand? Or can they understand and just not care? Is it selfishness for this child to seek solitude and comfort and confine in others? Is it selfish to want one lonely night to himself to grieve, to weep, to mourn and cry out for his Father’s help?

So many have asked of this boy, “can you talk?” and no matter the late hour, he responds. “Yes.” No matter the events that are happening in his own life, he sets them aside and finds temporary comfort in paying attention to the heartache and brokenness of those around him. But, again I must ask. To what end? How can one go on? How can one be expected to smile through the tears? How can one be expected to forget, expected to move on so quickly from such turmoil, such torment. How can that be, how can it be? Now, let us discuss this child’s Family.

There is a Family:

A Mother, a Father, a Daughter a Son. And the Daughter’s two children as well. And in these days, what are families most prone to? What is most likely to happen to families? From a biblical perspective, heartache, pain, turmoil and yes… Brokenness, the enemy works it all out  so well. That it seems as if Mother is against Daughter and Daughter is against Mother. Father against Son, and Son is against Father, and on and on and on when will the brokenness be gone? There is so much division, separation and hurt. The boy often finds himself crying himself to sleep at night. Crying out, asking, why wondering If,  if his family is so divided, if there is so much strife and so much anger and heartache. How can his family ever make it to heaven together? How?

With the thoughts of Daughter against Mother and the thoughts of Mother against daughter, constant arguing and never ending fighting and inevitable division, how can there ever be a path to heaven for his family or anyone? How? Why must it be him? Why must this hurt and tragedy happen to him and to his family? Sickness, confusion, strife and pain. Why must this happen? Does God not hear the cries of the young boy in the middle of the  lonely night? Does he simply not care? Why must the world be so broken? When the boy is finally able to sleep, he wakes with one thought and one question on his mind.

I wake up this morning to families torn apart and I wish I could fix it, give them a brand new start. But I can’t. I know you’re hurting and I know you’re in pain. I know how you feel. But don’t give up yet, just believe. You are stronger than you think. You’ve been through the trials and you’ve been through the pain. You have been hurt so severe. But don’t give up, you’ve made it through and yes, you are stronger than you think. And if you’ve made it through this, just think what you can do. You could change the whole world and help others too. Because you are stronger than you think.

In Conclusion:

So there you have it, my short story for “Brokenness” broken things. There will always be brokenness in one’s life and there will always be heartache and turmoil. There will always be hurting children and there will always be families torn apart. Not because of anything that God has done, but because of what man has done. The world is corrupt and the enemy is on the warpath. And more and more each day we are giving in to his ways and that just makes the world that much darker. While the boy in my story may face some hardships from time to time and while he may grieve greatly in the late hour of the lonely night. He never once let himself become consumed by darkness, and that is where we must tread ever so carefully. It is alright to grieve, it’s perfectly normally to cry and to feel sad from time to time, it is even normal to be completely overwhelmed by heartache, we are only human. But we can’t let that determine us as a person. We must keep strong and we must move on.

God is our fortress, he is our refuge and he is our mighty tower. While it may not seem like he cares for all those little children that weep and mourn in the lonely night. He does and he does listen to them, he is listening to them and he will answer them. Which is why I do my part in praying every night for every child all over the world. The abandoned child, the broken child. The child that is neglected and abused, they could use all the prayers they could get and if we can do more, then we should do that too. Until next time my friends, remember that we cannot choose the events that happen to us but we CAN choose how we respond to them. Just remember God is the great Physician and he can mend all broken things. It won’t be easy, it will take time. But nothing is impossible with God, some things may not be mended until that day in heaven when he wipes the tears from our eyes but he can and he will.

SHALOM –