Broken Heal the Broken

I apologize in advance for how rambling this will sound, but it's heavy on my heart, and I want to share some thoughts and light on this subject.

Broken heal the broken.



I wrote a sort of incoherent post on Instagram a little while ago about brokenness. This was the little paragraph I posted: "Humanity and all it's worth. The tears and sorrow. The pain and heartbreak. The joy and laughter. The hope and healing. Humanity and all it's LIFE. The relationships and the friendships; the love, laughter, hurt, pain, sorrow. And the only time we cry out to the One who created our very being is when it's too hard to bare. And the only time we seek for healing is when we are too broken to move on. The brokenness that defines our very healing through a blood stained cross. When we've reached the end and we think our souls are far too shattered to be pieced back together, then do we look up to the Stars and seek true HEALING. When we feel like it is time to say "goodbye" to brokenness, is when you embrace the brokenness to say "hello" to healing. "Hello" to a graceful new beginning of hope and healing and ultimately happiness. But there is always brokenness before healing. There is sorrow before true joy is known. And there is always humanity known in pain, and humanity known in hope through a supernatural God."

I'm going to put some Bible verses here, and then I promise I will tie all of this in together.
2 Corinithians 1:3-7

³ Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

⁴ Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

⁵ For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.

⁶ And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.

⁷ And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.

I was taking a class at a community college a couple years ago, and the very first night I met this young woman who was shy, quiet and shaky. I observed the shakiness first, didn't think much of it. But then I noticed the long sleeves. The weather outside wasn't cold in the least. And then I noticed her eyes. Their softness betraying a hurt that I saw deep inside her soul. I was immediately drawn to her. Like God was telling me to talk to her. My heart raced, my hands became sweaty and everything inside me told me no. But I had to. The thought wouldn't leave my mind.

It was then that she unconsciously pulled her sleeves up because she was warm, portraying a line of scars... scars that told stories of the long, dark nights she had suffered. Scars that told of the pain she was going through on the inside.

I smiled warmly and I introduced myself. She looked really surprised at the fact that I had spoken to her, and it took her a second for her to say her own name out loud -- like she was debating even responding to me. After carrying on a small conversation for a few minutes during the break of class, I began to see a small bit of warmth enter her eyes. And my own heart slowed down. My own anxiety that had built up inside was slowly dissipating as she finally smiled. It was almost like I could actually hear God telling me to be her friend.

Long story short, we ended up becoming good friends for awhile. I remember one time before taking an exam, she was on the verge of tears with shaking hands, and I knew exactly what she was feeling. I had placed my own shaking hand on top of hers and simply said "breathe," followed by a short prayer for comfort and peace. The Lord used my own experience of suffering to be a witness to this girl. She came to church with me a few times, and although I didn't actually physically see something come of that experience, I know good had to come from it. I haven't actually heard from her in a while, but I trust that God is still working in her life.

Broken heal the broken. This girl would have never come to church with me if I hadn't of shown her love. If I hadn't of ever said hi. If I hadn't shared a bit of my own story with her, she might not have opened up and let me comfort her through her pain. I always know something good comes from suffering. I don't believe that God just lets us suffer for no reason, nor do I believe he causes depression and anxiety. But the thing is, mental illness is in such an outbreak in our society, that it somehow becomes normal, and somehow, we no longer feel the need to help the brokenness of these souls.

I found a quote that I really love. "Never give up on someone with a mental illness. When 'I' is replaced by 'we', illness becomes wellness." God called us to help each other out. God has called us to be the light in a dark world; to share our own stories with others in order to help bring someone else the greatest Peace of all. And while we might not even be over our own illnesses, or our own trials, we know that we have a great Peace. We can know that there will always be grace for us, and grace for others.

This doesn't just apply to mental illness. This literally applies to ALL of the suffering we go through. 2 Corinithians 1:3-7 states very clearly that the tribulations we go through, we will be comforted by God, and in turn, we comfort those who are also suffering. It's almost like a cyclic process, of get comfort and give comfort. And our Hope is in Christ. Because ultimately, true Joy comes from above. True comfort comes from above.

Because Jesus was broken the most when He hung on that dark, wooden cross. He broke, so that He could heal the broken... He went through the ultimate suffering, so that through this suffering we could have the ultimate comfort of Salvation and Grace.

Grace for Yesterday.
Grace for Today.
Grace for Tomorrow.