“Oh no, broken mommy, broken!” 

My son recently discovered that when you throw something on the floor and it breaks, it needs fixing.

It is not difficult to identify a broken toy or a broken toilet, but when it comes to our spiritual lives, we often fail to acknowledge the broken areas that need God’s healing touch:

• A marriage that is struggling.
• A loss that needs grieving.
• A sin that is prevailing.
• Anger, bitterness, and feelings of betrayal that have never been acknowledged or addressed.

We tend to shove all these ‘unpleasant’ aspects of our lives under the rug and hope that no one else–including God–will see them. The shame and embarrassment of our broken places can often feel like too much to bear, let alone face. 

But as we continue through the Lenten Season, we must realize that this strategy of ‘hiding’ our brokenness is not what Jesus modeled. His body was literally broken–not in some private closet–but exposed for all to see. He was naked. Disrobed. Mocked. I can only imagine His disciples looking on in utter horror at his shameful death wondering, What is happening? Where is God?

But something was happening in this horrific scene of brokenness that would extend into eternity. For it was only in His being broken before us that paved the way for the resurrection. It was only because His brokenness was allowed to be seen that the resurrection was so powerful and utterly transforming. From pain, darkness and death springs new life filled with hope and peace.

It was in this utter place of brokenness that our Lord gave (and still gives) us, as human beings, permission to be broken, vulnerable and undone. Our job as Christians is not to have it all together all the time, but to be able to trust that in the midst of our brokenness, it is He who comes to us and heals us from the inside out. 

“The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart” (Psalm 34:18) writes the psalmist and “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (Psalm 147:3). We can receive these words over and over again as we go through the ups and downs of life. But what does it look like practically?

We all have parts of ourselves and our lives that are broken. He invites us to acknowledge those broken parts, first with Him, but also with others. James reminds us of the importance of leaning into community,

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

James 5:16

Confessing our sins to one another is simply admitting to another person where we fall short, where we are missing the mark, and also admitting how we are really feeling about life and about God.

• Are you feeling disappointed with God?
• Are you living with a nagging sense of guilt over a relationship that was never restored?
• Are you battling feelings of jealousy with your friends achieving more success than you?
• Are you struggling to get up in the morning due to crippling fear and anxiety?
• Do you worry if God is mad at you or upset with you for not doing or being enough?

This, my friends, is human brokenness. And we all have it.

Here are some ways you can bring your brokenness, whatever it is, from the hidden corners of your heart into the broad daylight of a safe space:

1. Through a trusted friend. Commit to meeting with a friend regularly to be daringly honest with each other and pray for each other.
2. Through a trained counselor or coach. Book a session to work through some of the “gunk” in your life, such as losses, disappointments and strained relationships.
3. Through an anointed prayer minister. Seek out the prayer ministry at your church and ask for prayer. This is one of the best ways to practice opening up about our brokenness and experience the healing presence of God’s Spirit that comes through the prayers of another.

When we learn to follow Jesus’ example of bringing our brokenness into the light, we will be shocked at the power (the same power that raised Jesus from the dead) that starts to break through in our lives to bring healing, restoration and new life.