Broken for Good

The Breaker
 By Travis Greene

It may not feel good to me but it is good for me

My life is safer, when I get to the Breaker

“Jesus wracked my life, shattered it to pieces, and put it back together more beautifully.”- Kisses from Katie, by Katie Davis Majors. Page 23 introduction. 

That quote is amazing. I feel the power of those words. Have you had a moment after you asked Jesus into your heart that he rocked your world? I have had countless times when I have argued with God, sat with him and said he was wrong. Those are times he has to be looking down at me, and shaking his head the way a parent does when you are angry over something so silly they can’t even scold you. 

So many times when I read the Bible I shake my head at the Pharisees’ self-righteousness or Peter for being so utterly confused, but then the next few minutes in prayer, I am shaking my finger wondering if God is messing up my life. It’s rather hypocritical to do that. I think that is something we miss  if we don’t hold the Bible in a high place of honor — the lessons others learned. But that is a topic for another time. Right now we are talking about “shattered life.”

When we chose to follow Jesus, we prepare for our hearts to be destroyed! Because, like I talked about in Love Unlike Ours blog post, when Jesus enters our lives, we have a lot of things to clear off our heart’s throne. Sometimes clearing off plans we have hurts. They look so good, and we can’t always see God’s plan, but the Bible promises us that his plans are always good and that they will allow us to prosper. (see Jeremiah 29:11)

Katie Davis Majors has a very powerful story of how Jesus flipped her world and shook it till at the point she thought it could never be fixed. However, it was put together in away that was more beautiful than she could ever imagine. (If you are interested, read Kisses From Katie.)

I love her story because it shows how well she got to know God through the breaking. Through the breaking she feels more clearly the love of God. When I heard this song, it made the think of the quote at the top of the page. This whole songs talks about allowing God to break you. He breaks us, but like it say in the song My life is safer. Safer, because when God shapes your life, you grow closer to him, which means you grow father from sin. You literally become safer. 

Remember when you were a little kid, and even when your parents told you not to, you pulled the paper off the crayons and then broke them? You got different patterns with the side and more service area, and with the rough place of the crayon where it was broken  you get a different texture. The same thing happens when God breaks us. First he starts slowly, preparing our hearts to trust him even when we get broken. Then he breaks us. It might hurt but now like with a crayon we have more sides to use instead of just two. God has all sides. God as the Maker sometimes has to break things to get them to be the perfect and more useable to color he needs for His beautiful artwork of the world. 

In this song I love that it calls God a Maker and Breaker. I think those are great word choices because God may break you to make you of better use for him, but he will also make something beautiful with you. Now it may hurt, but take heart, because the Bible says:

 “No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it.” —1 Corinthians 10:13 (Message version.)

This verse brings to much comfort to me. He’ll never let you be pushed past your limit. That is a promise. When God knows it is time for you to be broken a little, to fit better the place, he holds your life. He allows things to happen. While the breaking happens and your world rocks, he never lets you down. He is right next to you. In the end, your life will be happier and more secure. You will know God better, and even if it hurts at first, it won’t last forever, and God is always working good. 

Is there an area of your life you don’t want God to change? What practical step can you take to allow God to break you and make you a better color in his masterpiece?