Broken Stories
When I think back over my 37 years of life, most of my stories are neatly packaged with a pretty bow. I believe God is my great Redeemer and has instilled in our hearts a love and passion for stories of redemption. We love to hear about how God restored a broken marriage, how the woman who experienced the loss of miscarriage gave birth to a beautiful baby, how the child who went astray has turned back to God. As much as those stories highlight God’s power and might, where does that leave the one whose life is marked by grief, sadness and brokenness?
I have two dear friends who both started as neighbors in Charlotte, North Carolina, but have been moved to two different states across the US. Since they both live in different states I started to rely on the Voxer app to share stories, encourage one another and point each other towards Jesus. These two women do not know each other, but their stories run a parallel theme of heartache, grief and a story line that was never what either imagined for their lives. But even more incredible than their story, is the way their hearts sing praises to God, digging deep into Scripture, relying on Jesus and spending their days pouring sacrificially into others.
My relationship with these two women has caused me to pause this year and reflect on my own faith. They have been so genuine and raw with their stories, allowing me to see deeper into their lives and the way their heartache has caused them to push further into their faith. Could I say the same? If my life was not peppered with stories ending in pretty packages topped with bows, would I still be leaning into Jesus and singing of His goodness? Would I still be telling others that God could be trusted? Would I still believe that my God was the God of redemption?
Recently our pastor shared this quote from Vance Havmer, “God uses broken things. Broken soil to produce crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. It is Peter weeping bitterly who returns to greater power than ever.” As Christ followers we can easily fall into a lie that says God loves me when my life is wrapped in a neat package and in doing so we isolate those whose stories do not see redemption this side of heaven. It is so tempting to measure God’s infinite love for us against the brokenness of our story. The stories of my life this side of heaven that end in redemption and beauty are not my due owed for following Christ, but instead an undeserving gift of grace that I am able to partake in. That mindset allows me to step into the stories of my friends with a willingness to help shoulder their burden and grief, and remind them that their stories of pain are not a balance with God’s immeasurable love for them.
As a woman, I fall into the temptation to share my stories in a way that reflect God’s goodness on me and shy away from sharing the stories that leave a tension in the air, even though Scripture reminds me that brokenness is what God desires. It is much more enjoyable to share the story in our small group of how after prayer our child turned back to Christ, or how after a season of unemployment God gave us our dream job. And I believe with all of my heart that God is still performing miracles and allows for us to witness incredible stories that give us great hope. But let’s be careful to not isolate those whose stories are still sitting in thick tension waiting for an answer from God, or whose stories may not have such a desired outcome. In our brokenness is where God’s power and might are showcased without the temptation of pride getting in the way.
Thank you to my dear friends for opening up your hearts in raw honesty and allowing me to see how God pours into your broken stories. My heart is in awe of the way you trust with unwavering faith that God will redeem your stories – even if it may be the other side of heaven. And your confidence in God’s love for you even as you sit in the tension of life’s unpredictable outcomes is a reminder to me that God loves me just because He loves me.
Melissa Jackson has been married to her college sweetheart, LD for 14 years and they reside in Charlotte, NC. Melissa is a mother to 4 children at all times, but frequently also mom to local foster children and international exchange students. They also share their home with Melissa's parents. Their home is an ever revolving door and they are so thankful to be able to live with hands and hearts open to whatever God calls them to. Melissa has served on staff at churches as well as in leadership roles as a volunteer and has a passion for providing opportunities for others to be the hands and feet of Christ. Melissa began documenting their life of radical faith after her husband left corporate America to do ministry and they became foster parents. More about their journey can be found at www.crazywildfaith.wordpress.com