Brokenness Restored

Brokenness Restored

[parable] 8/18/11

I meet this man last week who recently had surgery on his ankle. The surgery he had  was necessary because his ankles had become deformed as a result of his lifestyle.  He had spent years parachuting into the enemy's camp.  Over the course of these years he had repeatedly fractured his ankles to where they had become deformed.  Leaving him unable to walk.  The surgery repaired the deformity; however, until he heals he has multi-plained pins or rods stabilizing his foot.  Part of  his post surgical care involves debrising  layers and layers of dead skin on the bottom of his foot, which was caused from the swelling from the deformity.  I literally spent time peeling off layers of dead skin, to reveal nice pink skin underneath.  I went back to see him yesterday only to find that the bottom of his foot again needed debrising from dead skin.  So, again I sit and scrub and peel off the dead skin to reveal nice pick skin...This takes much time and much patience as great tenderness needs to be used due to his pain.
[end parable]

This morning I am quickened to this man again...and as I ponder the situation he finds himself in... completely broken...I realize that the life he has lived was a harsh (though it was one dedicated to serving our country) one as it shows on his face and in his demeanor....I think of how I didn't know him then, but now all I see is brokenness, humility...beauty!

Heard: Years of jumping into the enemy camp.  Now, I have him still before me.

Fill Thy Cup:
Do you ever feel as though your pinned? No matter which way you look-your pinned-forced to be still.  There are times in our lives when we push our limits and God attempts to get our attention over and over again. Still, we persist into enemy territory.  God, sometimes, will even break us physically to try to get our attention to cause us to be still before him.  But in our absolute stubborn flesh ridden lives we limp along broken and continuing on the path of destruction.  We continue to jump off into enemy territory until we eventually become so deformed by being beaten and battered that we no longer resemble the strength and integrity we started out with.  Now deformed and no longer able to walk, we arrive at the place of multi-plained pinning where God now has us still before Him.  Forced to not move while he peels away the layers-the years of injuries, pain, brokenness.  He now can remove the flesh to reveal life and as He does He says, "Now, let's start again. I will teach you once more how to walk.  I will lead you will my tender mercies and my loving kindness- I will rebuild what the enemy has destroyed... Now broken and humbled you will hear my voice. You will know that I am God"

Hosea 11:4

^"4 I led them with cords of human kindness,
   with ties of love... "

Psalm 46:10
"He says, “Be still, and know that I am God...”"


John 10:10
"The thief cometh not, but that he may steal, and kill, and destroy: I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly."

Micah 6:4

"⁴ For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed thee out of the house of bondage;"

Deuteronomy 8:3

³ He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

Job 33:25-26

^"25 let their flesh be renewed like a child’s;
   let them be restored as in the days of their youth’—
²⁶ then that person can pray to God and find favor with him,
   they will see God’s face and shout for joy;
   he will restore them to full well-being. "

Jeremiah 18:2

 "² Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words."

Isaiah 64:8

"⁸ But now, O Jehovah, thou art our Father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand."