Have you ever noticed that when two former Marines meet they have a special connection? It’s probably true of Michigan State fans, turkey-hunters, old tractor restorers, BBQ-lovers, NASCAR enthusiasts, and cross-stitchers too. But there is a way to identify with every other human being you know. You have something in common.
Here it is: We have all been hurt by sin. We have been hurt by our own sin. We have been hurt by the sin of others against us, but we have all been hurt by sin. I call that brokenness…. How we have been hurt by our sin or the sin of others against us is brokenness. How we have been hurt by this fallen, sinful world is what I call brokenness.
When we are open to share how we have been hurt by sin and when we listen to others, how they have been hurt by sin, and especially when we agree that Jesus is the answer to our brokenness then we will have a special spiritual connection even if we root for different teams and spend our free time in different ways.
It would be easy to assume that a good church is a gathering of nice people who have not sinned much or been wounded by sin. That would be a mistake. Jesus church is made up of people who have taken their brokenness to the cross and sought help and healing in Jesus.
In the healthiest churches our deepest identity is that we have taken our brokenness to Jesus.
Bittersweet Farm
March 2021
