I used to be under the mistaken notion that for the Lord to work, He had to have a completely surrendered participant. Somehow the reality of dragging my own kids kicking and screaming into the doctor's office or to clean their room, never enlightened me to the fact that often he works his most powerfully while actually teaching us *how* to surrender, not as a result of it. Surrender, after all, is not merely a mental decision but rather a process of refining over time in any and all life's circumstances. Something that we grow into over a lifetime rather than merely say "Ok, I'm surrendered, that's it, decision made...check".
In my own life it has seemed that he had to break me so that I might grow to a certain level...then he had to break me again to bring me to the next level...over.and.over.again. Painful, but absolutely necessary. If we consider the short 3 year span of Christ's ministry it began with the 40 days of temptation and fasting. He had to experience hunger, pain, spiritual discipline so that it might be later said "He learned obedience by what he suffered". In a sense he had to be broken to begin the ministry that would end in his ultimate brokenness for our salvation...breaking to breaking for God's glory and our ultimate joy.
This is why we identify most with Christ in our sufferings rather than in our pleasures. Very little if any is ever said of the pleasures Christ experienced on earth, much is said for his sufferings. After all, he is our 'suffering Savior'...'bruised and broken' for us.
What a paradox. We must be broken, to identify with our broken Savior and ultimately to be used...in being used we become more broken...in being more broken we grow and are used yet the more...then must be broken again to stretch further still. God's invitation is not to ease and cruising through life with 'nary a care...it is an invitation to be broken...time and time again.
I can only speak from my own personal experiences small and limited as they are but I can say this: in June 2012 if God had sat me down with a proposal for growth on that side of events...outlining the details we would have to walk through... including job loss in a sudden and horrible way, loss of relationships that were precious to us, loss of our home, ultimately loss of our Texas lives I would have told God "Thank you for the invite, but we decline, thank you very much. Thank you for thinking of us, by the way, but we're okay. Really." Yep, we would have declined. Our family was happy and comfortable. The idea that change would happen so fast and so furious would have literally made me throw up. (well, it did in fact, but that's another story. lol) I'm glad God didn't ask me, but did his own thing dragging me kicking and screaming...like a child to a vaccine clinic.
Yes, I thank God for not asking us if we wanted to be broken. He saw we needed it, He saw in the long term the glorious blessings and spiritual destination on the other side. Thank you for breaking us in spite of our unwilling spirits. I can truly say no year in our lives has been filled with more growth, more spiritual blessing as this year has been. If I could be invited to this past year from *this side*, of course I would take it. In fact if someone offered me a BILLION dollars to NOT take it, I'd refuse them. In life however, we have to take those leaps of faith/trust from the unknown side, not the ending side. That is what brokenness and faith are all about.
So what is your story of brokenness? We who believe and are being used and refined have one...or two...or many. Whatever your story is, use it for God's Glory. He invites us to suffer with him. His invitation is this: "I will break you, but it's going to be so worth it". The irony of ironies is the joy, rest and peace we arrive at during life's storms is out of our brokenness. Paradoxical but oh, so true. "I must break you" God says. Let us cry out in reply "Let your will be done and give me your strength to face it...yet I know, **I KNOW**, this will be for my ultimate joy and your glory...let it be done to me according to your divine will...let me be broken..."http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpbdK0q-FyY
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