Brokenness

In Henri Nouwen's beautiful book, Life of the Beloved, he writes, "Our brokenness is so visible and tangible, so concrete and specific, that it is often difficult to believe that there is much to think, speak, or write about other than our brokenness."

He goes on to say later in the same chapter that "perhaps the simplest [thing] would be to say that our brokenness reveals something about who we are. Our sufferings and pains are not simply bothersome interruptions of our lives; rather, they touch us in our uniqueness and our most intimate individuality."

I am who I am because I have been broken. Many times. Sometimes I break myself. Those are the times when, despite my best efforts, I attempt to be something I am not: indestructible. Dreams shatter and loves are lost. It's what happens in the aftermath that creates true heroes. Think of 9/11. Can you imagine the events of that day without thinking of the firefighters, and rescue workers that toiled endlessly in the carnage of the WTC? We live in a fallen world where many of us are spinning out of control, like a careening car into oncoming traffic. Or an accelerating plane into a New York highrise.  The mark of honor is how we adjust and move on and lend a hand to someone who is down.

I think that as humans we obsess on the big events in life. There are some that are worthy of notice, obvbiously! But we tend to deemphasize the in between. I love that phrase, as you could probably guess. It connotes a sense of relationship. Everything is connected. Nothing, and no man, is an island. You have relationships between friends. You could be between jobs. You need to make a choice between two options, without forgetting that when you're in the in between you're still somewhere. God is there in the in between. Informing you if you let him. Picking you up if you recognize his hand. And loving. Always loving.