I’m feeling pretty broken today. Painfully aware of my short comings and struggles.
Brokenness is good, we should probably embrace it more often. I don’t know the last time I was truly broken… but I’m sitting at the reception desk trying to fight back tears… because lately I’m so aware of how consistently inconsistent I am. My best intentions to be better, don’t pan out.
We can’t dwell there though. Brokenness is only beautiful if we allow God to put us back together. I’ve seen people sit and stay amidst their brokenness. This is where they got the revelation that God still loves them even in our weakness. That is beautiful, but it’s not the end of the story. The beauty is walking hand in hand, with the God that loves you even in your weakness, into redemption and wholeness. That’s why He loves you in your weakness, not so you can stay there, but so that you can reach the potential that He has for you. So that you can be who He created you to be.
At the beginning of this new year our base director gathered all of the staff and asked us, to ask God what His dreams were for us as individuals, for this 2014.
I bowed my head, and asked God what His dreams for me were. I expected Him to name all of my struggles, because I was painfully aware of them at the time. But He didn’t.
Suddenly God’s tenderness manifested, I knew He knew my struggles, but He chose not to mention them. I felt His still small voice say, it was going to be a year of break through, and I sensed a smile on His face as He said it. No condemnation, but a genuine excitement and anticipation. I then felt like He said Psalm 29:5. So I got my ipod out and looked it up.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
Wow. For a while I’ve thought about how the struggles that we still struggle with, even after years of being Christians are the big strongholds… the ones that have taken deep root. Hopefully we wiped out all of the twig struggles, and even some of the small branch struggles… but God was reminding me that His voice was going to break into pieces the 130 foot tall, 8 foot diameter, cedars of Lebanon.
If you’re reading this, would you pray for me? Pray that I’d make right choices, pray that I’d break bad habits, pray that I’d do the hard things. Pray that I’d be disciplined, pray that I’d walk in the full potential that God has for me.
If you’re broken, embrace it, but don’t stop there. Take some time and listen to His voice. Ask Him what His dreams are for you this year.
Comment and let me know what He is speaking to you.
by Jim Baker
Love this. I feel broken some days as I wait upon God to let me grieve and send me. Thank you. I will pray for you.
Love this. I feel broken some days as I wait upon God to let me grieve and send me. Thank you. I will pray for you.
Love this. I feel broken some days as I wait upon God to let me grieve and send me. Thank you. I will pray for you.
{I’m nuts about the new commenting system – – can you message me and tell me how I can add this to my wordpress??} I’m praying for you. I’ve also been feeling a pull toward an increase in discipline. I feel like it is especially hard to be disciplined after the “feasts” of the holidays – I feel like I’ve been feasting forever and in every area of my life I long to be better, but haven’t until now embraced the “fast” that balances the feast. For me, fasting has always seemed like a denial of things – a limitation, a suffocation – I’ve never experienced the joy of self control. But, this week I have been experiencing self control as CONTROL – not as something else controlling me – and it’s been so fulfilling! As I stare down a cookie, or a piece of chocolate (my biggest vices), I am intentionally choosing to leave them where they are and reap the benefits of discipline. I pray for your strengthening in this area too!!!
Amazing, Jim. Thank you so much for sharing! I feel like I’m in the midst of a place as well where I am faced with my shortcomings and just when I think “I’ve come so far” I see how much further I really have to go. But this word is so good – brokenness before the Lord is good but it’s not the end and it’s not even the whole point. It’s getting our eyes fixed back on Him and plodding forward. We will always be growing, learning, being refined. Thank you
I will pray …
Love this. I feel broken some days as I wait upon God to let me grieve and send me. Thank you. I will pray for you.
Amazing, Jim. Thank you so much for sharing! I feel like I’m in the midst of a place as well where I am faced with my shortcomings and just when I think “I’ve come so far” I see how much further I really have to go. But this word is so good – brokenness before the Lord is good but it’s not the end and it’s not even the whole point. It’s getting our eyes fixed back on Him and plodding forward. We will always be growing, learning, being refined. Thank you
thanks Annabelle!
{I’m nuts about the new commenting system – – can you message me and tell me how I can add this to my wordpress??} I’m praying for you. I’ve also been feeling a pull toward an increase in discipline. I feel like it is especially hard to be disciplined after the “feasts” of the holidays – I feel like I’ve been feasting forever and in every area of my life I long to be better, but haven’t until now embraced the “fast” that balances the feast. For me, fasting has always seemed like a denial of things – a limitation, a suffocation – I’ve never experienced the joy of self control. But, this week I have been experiencing self control as CONTROL – not as something else controlling me – and it’s been so fulfilling! As I stare down a cookie, or a piece of chocolate (my biggest vices), I am intentionally choosing to leave them where they are and reap the benefits of discipline. I pray for your strengthening in this area too!!!
you are never far away from our thoughts Jim, this is your year my friend !!
love your blogs:)
thanks Ray! we still have to facetime!