Mending the Broken

In my honest and humble opinion, the most overused words that come out of kids’ and adolescents’ mouths are ‘it was an accident’.

When they were young, one of my girls would come running into the room, tears in her eyes and crying hysterically because one of her sisters kicked her or punched her or pulled her hair or broke her toys. The culprit usually would be following close behind, prepared to plead her case, often times using the words ‘on accident’ in her defense.

Sometimes it’s obvious. Sometimes you can tell immediately when something is broken because it doesn’t work right, or even more obvious, when it’s lying on the floor in pieces. The sound of plates crashing to the floor is usually a dead giveaway, even before you look.

The brother of my friend, Jenny was in a horrible motorcycle accident; he was hit by an oncoming car in the middle of an intersection, a scenario often called a ‘T-bone’. I went to the hospital to visit him.

There he lay on the bed, with his current best friends, IV and pain meds, poking into his arm. Jenny showed me some pictures she had taken with her camera phone.

Talk about obvious. Rodney’s leg was absolutely, without a doubt, broken. The shin is supposed to be a straight line from the knee to the ankle, not take a detour midway down and protrude outward. Rodney was soon wheeled back for surgery, and they fixed the break and put a rod in the leg in order to straighten and reinforce the leg. Give it a couple of months, and he’ll be back on his feet, good as new.

A couple of month.

Crutches, pain meds, being off work, and incapable of living life to the full, life as it was before the accident can make a couple of months seem like forever. Sometimes the healing process can be more painful than the accident that rendered the break.

Sometimes there are warning signs that are less than subtle, screaming that something bad is about to happen. The sound of screeching tires and a car horn as you are preparing to cross an intersection is never a good sound.

America’s Funniest Home Videos puts together montages of ‘saw that coming’ type videos, clips that often include a toddler, a ball bat, and a father standing too close. Every time I see a piñata clip, I know someone’s about to get hit in the crotch, usually dad. It never fails. You’d think that Dad would know that by giving his toddler a ball bat, he ultimately expects to have no more children.

There’s a story where Jesus gives Peter a huge warning sign. In essence, he says, “you’re about to be broken, but after you have been mended, you’re going to be able to help others who have been broken. (Luke 22:32-33)”

And yes, Peter was broken, and yes, after the mending he became a Helper of the Broken.

For Peter, the point of ‘breakage’ was absolutely obvious - to him and everybody else. In a split second, he lost his honor, tainted his integrity, broke his word, and compromised his relationship with Jesus.

I’m sure that in that split second moment, Jesus’ words of promise, using the words “once you’ve returned”, were nowhere to be recalled. And that’s usually been the way it was with me; I forget important Scripture Promises, like “All things work to the good of those who love HIM, and are CALLED according to his purpose (Romans 8:28)” because the gravity of the situation is so in my face that I can’t shake away to see.

But sometimes there are no apparent warning signs.

Sometimes, stuff just happens, regardless of the blame, and things – and people – sometimes get broken.

Sometimes people are broken on the inside. Sometimes their drive is kicked out from under them, their momentum is shut down, their heart is ripped up. Sometimes, just by looking, you can’t tell that they’re broken, but they are.

Sometimes the break is instantaneous, other times it’s a gradual slide.

Sadly, sometimes they don’t realize they’re broken, or they deny the break, saying - and I quote Monty Python - ‘it’s just a flesh wound’.

Sometimes it’s obvious to everyone else but them.

I think we all know that feeling when something we value is broken; that gut sinking feeling that hits when you realize, not just the damage as assessed immediately, but the damage yet to be discovered.

In that split second, Peter’s gut sunk.

Healing and mending usually come by way of baby steps, often so miniscule that they’re immeasurable. It’s like watching a slug race.

Which goes against how we, as humans are. Being an’ instant gratification’ driven race, we expect to be able to be back on schedule, back on track, back on our feet in no time to return to work or before the game starts or by Christmas. The healing process doesn’t stay on track or abide within the schedule we establish. In fact, it laughs.

Healing does take place, but it also takes its time, a time of waiting. “But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:30)”

Someone gave me a broken piano. Actually, it’s a beautiful piece of furniture, but as an instrument, it was genuinely worthless. What a shame that such a beautiful piece of furniture would be useless.

And when people are broken, we may still see them as beautiful; just not complete. We expect that when a person is ‘damaged’, then they’re not good for anything anymore.

Which is probably what Peter felt, even after Jesus came alive again. Damaged. Broken. Useless.

Jesus said, “and when you returned, you’ll strengthen your brothers.” This prophecy was pre-broken. It means that, although Peter was going to be broken, he was going to be repaired. Not only repaired, but stronger than before.

The piano cabinet set in my garage for over a year before I gleaned the parts out of it that I wanted. I remember thinking, “such a shame this piano is going to go to waste.” But then I thought…

I began to scheme and plan and reconsider the cabinet. I pulled the piano keys out, decorated them with outlines of my kids’ hands, and hung them on my wall. It’s now a piece of art; I call it “A Mother’s Wish.”

The cabinet has been gutted completely. It’s a computer desk now, complete with flat screen computer monitor and hideaway concealment of everything. When fully closed, you see it as a piano cabinet.

When we are broken, sometimes we have opportunity to be stronger than before. Sometimes we become a completely new creation. Even in the midst of ‘converting’ the cabinet, it was in ‘process’. And so are we when we are healing. In process.

“And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again. (Philippians 1:6)”