Beauty in Brokenness

Beauty in Brokenness
By Margaret Manning (A Slice of Infinity from rzim.org)


Recently, I attended a retreat where there was a great deal of personalsharing. I sat amazed as I listened to women from every walk of life,most of whom were established Christians, share of heartache, pain, andvarious aspects of struggle they had either just come through, or werecurrently experiencing. I was overwhelmed by their honesty and by thepoignancy of their stories. But even more than this, I was overwhelmed bythe beauty radiating from within as they shared their stories.
Beauty in brokenness? Without glorifying suffering, there is anunexpected beauty that can shine through stories of struggle. One friendis a paraplegic broken in the use of her body, and yet she has a beautifulspirit. Not limited by her brokenness, she uses her own difficulties tohelp others, and teach others about true ability and disability. TonySnow, former White House Press Secretary, considered his cancer a"calling" and in a recent article written in Christianity Todaysaid, "We are fallen. We are imperfect. Our bodies give out. Butdespite this--because of it-–God offers the possibility of salvation andgrace."(1) That possibility of salvation and grace is beauty inbrokenness.
Somehow, uniquely, God desires to use those difficult moments of our livesto bring forth something extraordinarily beautiful. Even the naturalcreation attests to this truth. In fall, we marvel at the gorgeous, lushcolors of burnt amber, burnished orange, brilliant red, and bright yellowleaves, even as that beauty belies the slow and gradual death of thoseleaves. Winter buries those leaves under the cold, dark blanket of snowand frost. And yet, death brings forth life. Spring bursts forth yearafter year with jonquils, iris, lilies, and all the beautiful pastels ofnew life.
During a time of deep despair and suffering, King David wondered aboutGod's ability to be present in his dark places--to bring about beautifulredemption in the midst of brokenness. He cried out to God, "Will yourlovingkindness be declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Abaddon? Will your wonders be made known in the darkness? And your righteousnessin the land of forgetfulness?" (Psalm 88:11-12). David wondered about God's work in his life--had he been abandoned? Was God still guiding himeven in the deepest, darkest places of brokenness and fear? And even inthose places seemingly forgotten, would God continue to make things right?David struggled to see how beauty could emerge out of brokenness. Andyet, he later affirmed in Psalm 139, "Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you arethere; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there... if I say, 'surelythe darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,' even thedarkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, fordarkness is as light to you." It is in those dark places of brokennessand suffering that God brings forth luminous light so that even the darkis illuminated.
The prophet Isaiah repeats this theme by promising one who would redeemthe exiles, giving them "a garland of beauty instead of ashes" and "thetreasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you mayknow that I am the Lord... who summons you by name" (Isaiah 61:3, 45:3). Perhaps, these were Scriptures recalled by the apostle Paul when hedeclared that "we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that thesurpassing greatness of the power may be of God and not from ourselves; weare afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing;persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; alwayscarrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus alsomay be manifested in our body" (2 Corinthians 4:7-9). Indeed, Pauldeclares that "the God who said, 'Light shall shine out of darkness,' isthe one who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge ofthe glory of God in the face of Christ" (4:6). And so often, that faceof Christ is demonstrated with beautiful radiance through the broken anddark places in our lives.
Today, if you are experiencing hardship, difficulty or personal darkness,seek the light and beauty of Christ, for he longs to be present to you, togive you a garland of beauty instead of ashes, to call you by name, and tobring forth treasures of darkness. He is there in the brokenness with you.


Margaret Manning is associate writer at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.(1)Christianity Today, (July 2007, vol. 51, Number 7), 30.