Think of a coconut – it’s just course texture on the outside. To get to the useful part; a coconut has to be cracked. You need a hard tool or firm stone to crack that strong, outer shell. Then only can you enjoy the beautiful substance inside.
Broken things are often discarded. However, sometimes a thing has to be broken to be used. Gold and diamonds are highly sought out commodities. In their raw state, they are just clumps of dirt. That dirt needs to be broken up to retrieve the hidden treasure within. Even so, there needs to be a refining process for that precious substance to gain its full worth and distinctiveness.
We too undergo a similar process in order to get the best outof us. It is only in a crisis that we show our true colours; the true grit of what we are made of. We often surprise ourselves during such times. An orange has to be squeezed to get out its nourishing juice.
Within ourselves, there are elements of imperfection that make us flawed human beings. We desire to do the right thing but that doesn’t always happen (if we are truly honest with ourselves). Our sin nature gets the better of us. Apostle Paul had that predicament too; he said in Romans 7:20 (NKJV), “Now if I do that which I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me.”
Like the gold, diamond and the coconut, we need to be broken and stripped of the characteristics and old habits that hold us down. When we are ‘purified’, that’s when the true, hidden beauty comes out. So, broken is essential and useful for real, unparalleled beauty of spirit and soul to shine forth. ◊
Linda Pearl
About the Author
10 Responses to When ‘Broken’ is needed