Bad brokenness is broken by good brokenness.
Ann Voskamp
This week has been a week of brokenness. Bad brokenness. Racism, violence, anger, injustice, misunderstanding. Our hearts are heavy with what is going on in our country. And we don’t know what to do.
In her book, “Be the Gift,” Ann Voskamp explains:
Every soul wants more than a powerful experience. It was to experience a powerful connection.
And we have seen that truth in action this week. Even amid COVID-19, people have risen up and joined together to fight against this brokenness. Some peacefully, some violently.
Violent responses, however, only create more brokenness. More bad brokenness. More pain, more chaos. One wrong leads to another, and another, and another.
We are angry, we are afraid, we are hurt, we are betrayed. And everything in us wants to experience that powerful connection that unites us, that bring change, that makes us feel powerful.
But the power we seek should not be for dominance, superiority, for pride.
The power we seek should be the power found in sorrow, in humility, in brokenness. Good brokenness.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7
Power to grieve. Power to have self-control. Power to love.
Love? Where there is disagreement, anger, injustice?
What we must understand, and accept, is that “love is not always agreement with someone, but it is always sacrifice for someone” (Voskamp). Sacrifice. Always.
Are we willing to sacrifice? Sacrifice our pride and privilege for humility instead? Humility to listen, to grieve, to understand the other. Will we sacrifice our passionate, angry demand for justice for quiet, loving, determined action for justice? Will we sacrifice our desire to be right for in order to show compassion?
Will we choose, in this moment, to sacrifice our views, our pride, our anger to finally, finally truly love the OTHER? Whoever the other is for you? To love them. Will we choose to be broken? To be the good brokenness that can overcome the bad brokenness?
Will I?