I hear the word broken a lot instead of sin. It may be a buzzword for a new generation, but I have come to appreciate its use when included in the larger context of the fallen nature of mankind. So many people, who do not yet know the redemption Christ can bring, will tell you they feel broken.
Ann Voskamp has written about the importance of not just acknowledging our brokenness but remembering it on the other side.
We, the people with chronic soul amnesia, are called to be the re-membering people. The people who remember—and have their brokenness remembered.
Voskamp, Ann. The Broken Way: A Daring Path Into the Abundant Life (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016), 35.
The first step toward God comes with an acknowledgement of brokenness. If a person doesn’t recognize something’s wrong, then they have no reason to find a solution for their pain. The broken state pushes them to realize they are no longer in control; they can’t just wish themselves better. The state they’re in must find repair from something or someone beyond themselves.
God knew that without this acknowledgment, Satan pushes in and takes hold. Listen to what he said to Cain, who in his anger refused to acknowledge the sin that started with a bad attitude:
If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.
Genesis 4:7
Cain refused to admit his guilt, which led him to a life of separation from God. He was a broken and restless wanderer. We know that without God’s intervention, we too would be as Cain.
In our brokenness God steps in; and as people who have known the difference between “before” and “after,” we can introduce our broken friends to Christ, who died to put the pieces back together. In the end, sin is really about my control versus God’s control. My control leads to the dark hole of brokenness and despair. God’s control leads to wholeness, restoration, and purpose.
Our time at the table of Communion is a regular opportunity for re-membering, as Voskamp said. We remember how Christ allowed himself to be broken on our behalf that we might be restored and joined as members of his new spiritual body—the Body of Christ. Broken, now whole, we live to remember.
Praise God today for the wholeness we have in Christ. Thank him for what he’s done in your life to restore that which was broken in sin. Pray for those you love who are experiencing brokenness today.
Grace and Peace