My body mourns with brokenness.
My head hurts as I try to fill the exhaustion with warm caffeine upon waking. My heart hurts as I see my children struggle to understand the world. My body hurts as my husband faces trials and frustrations. My soul aches when injustice is blamed on the Lord who has offered us an escape route that is laughed upon and mocked.
Life is broken. My thoughts are grieved. I yearn for righteousness to pour down and make it all right, all perfect, and take us back to the garden before the breaking of ties.
Isaiah 57:15 ESV
For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.
We are reluctant to confess and even more so to repent. It’s too easy to stay stuck in the comfort of sin. We often don’t realize or conveniently forget that this sin we sleep with binds us to hurt, brokenness, and grief. We think we have it easy and are relatable, but in the deepest parts of our souls we are convicted that something needs to give.
We use cop outs and the ever popular excuse, “Well, I believe in Jesus so it doesn’t matter. We all go to Heaven.” Maybe so, but why live in turmoil because of familiarity instead of embracing a contrite heart, fleeing from the sin, and seeking freedom that our Lord is reaching out to give?
I digress. I live in sin. We all do. All are sinners and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23. No matter how much I repent, I am a work in progress. We all are. I am contrite and seek Jesus in all things. I have a partnership with Him as He mentors me through my walk and shows me truth.
We need a Savior. We cannot be our own. Righteousness doesn’t start with us, it starts with the one who created and saved us.
My brokenness is being mended. I am made new each mornings and have opportunities to soar every day. I make the best of my faith and seek to be a light for others despite my struggles.
Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
I pray that all seek truth in the freedom of the Lord. We don’t need to be bond to ease and popularity. Those things end up being exhausting and eventually lead to loneliness. We can be saved when we grasp the meaning on the Gospel, the freedom it brings, and the truth that ties the whole story together. In the Spirit of the Lord, there is indeed freedom.
This post comes from the 20 Days of Devotionals series.
Hi Maryann,
I am right there with you as a work in progress ♥ Thank you for sharing this beautiful post of hope! Blessings to you, Lori
I love the freedom that comes with Jesus :). It frees me to love when I’d rather avoid people. It frees me to reach out, when I get too satisfied with my own company. It makes me brave when I fear.
I understand what you are saying here. I taught in a Good News Club yesterday and my heart was broken by some of the prayer requests shared by the children. Heartache. Yes, we so need a Savior every single day.
“why live in turmoil because of familiarity instead of embracing a contrite heart, fleeing from the sin, and seeking freedom that our Lord is reaching out to give?” This is how I feel about the United States and … so many things right now. I, like you, grieve. I desperately want us to turn to God collectively with contrite hearts.
So so true… I pray for revival for this country.
Some years back God made this concept so bold in scripture… humility and a contrite spirit were His desire. It is such a hard quality to cultivate. Thanks for the encouragement today!
We are all indeed a work in progress!! I say it often. I’m so thankful for His saving grace. So thankful that my Jesus rescued me from a path of sin. Cultivating things from my brokenness. So true that we need to turn to Him to live in freedom.
“We need a Savior. We cannot be our own.” You speak truth! Too often we think we can save ourselves, but our failure again and again assures us we cannot.