Normally when something is broken, we evaluate whether or not it is worth it to be fixed. Should it just be replaced? How much will it cost to repair versus buying a new one? Can duct tape hold it together? Can we make do for just another week or month…or to the next paycheck? Should we just trash it and forget it?
But lives aren’t like that. We don’t get to evaluate worth. And…in my opinion…Every life has worth. We don’t get to decide if a broken life is worth repair. That isn’t our decision. That is especially the case because we are all broken in some way. None of us are without some problems, pains or issues. Broken. We all are. Divorce, addiction, abuse, anger, selfishness. Broken. Pain, fears, regrets, lies. Broken.
On the other hand, we aren’t responsible for fixing or repairing the brokenness in others either. Because we are all broken in some way, we may share our “duct tape” and we may talk about our own scars and wounds. But we can’t put anyone else back together. God can. We cannot.
What we are called to do is love. And love is often the hardest choice of all. Because to love someone, sometimes you have to let them break. To love someone sometimes you have to let them go so they can realize their brokenness and begin to put their own pieces back together. Sometimes love looks like letting them find their own duct tape for life, even as painful as that is. Sometimes love doesn’t look like picking up the pieces, but loving them in their broken state, praying fiercely for direction, and letting God handle the rest.
I’m a fixer. I like to think that I can, in some small way, make a difference. And sometimes God allows me to do just that…be a part of something that does make a difference. But not always. I’m not called to fix anything or anyone really. I’m called to love. And love is often the most difficult yet beautiful thing of all. May we, in our brokenness, learn to love as never before. And may it begin with me.
SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY 