Beauty for the Broken. What???
Beauty for the
Broken.
The phrase echoed in the silence of the world around me. In
the deafening quiet of the forest, it came from the stretching trees overhead
and the lazy lake nibbling at my toes. What the heck does that mean? Beauty in
the Broken? But the phrase did not answer right away, and instead just hung in
the air like a wispy spider web.
In the middle of Georgia, surrounded by gorgeous trees, I
was taking time to listen to God. It was the hardest thing for me to sit still
and quiet my heart so that I could really truly listen and not be distracted by
the world around me. It was the retreat part of the training and was intended
to be the easiest, most relaxing day, but I found it to be the opposite. In the
stillness of the forest, we were supposed to focus on why we were going on this
amazing trip and what God was trying to tell us before we left.
And so I found myself sitting on a small, decaying log next
to a pristine lake- trying to quiet my buzzing mind. Unfortunately, unlike they
describe it in all the outdoor magazines; peace of mind was not hiding behind
every small shrub and bush. But God was. And in a real way, I was able to meet
with Him and discuss my role in this group. And that was where I heard the
phrase-
Beauty for the Broken.
For a while I sat and mulled over it, holding it on my
tongue like a small snowflake- letting it dissolve slowly and sweetly. It was
true. In this race, my theme is Beauty for the Broken. The first thought of
what this could mean focused on what I would need to relinquish my grip on in
order to move forward. I am giving up what the world considers beautiful in
exchange for something thought of as broken. Beauty for the Broken.
Along with that, we all hold onto something that keeps us
from moving forward- a burden that we willingly tie ourselves down with because
it is comfortable. I love the lyrics from a Jars of Clay song that goes, “I’d
rather feel the pain all too familiar, than be broken by a Lover I don’t
understand.” So many times, I have seen in my life that I am unwilling, or
paralyzed, to move forward. But now, I need to give up all my comforts in order
to be broken by the Lover I don’t understand. The fear of the unknown is also
the fuel for wonder. May we not be so caught up in what could happen that we
fail to see what could happen. Think about it.
As I thought about it further, I also sensed that it meant
something else. In a world where there is so much brokenness, there also needs
to be great beauty. My purpose is to bring beauty for the Broken. To bring THE
Beauty to the Broken. No, not me, but Jesus- the ultimate Healer.
I have oftentimes wondered if beauty is not similar to
peace. There was once a contest by a king to see who could paint a picture that
was considered the most peaceful. There were two finalists at the end: the
first, a beautiful landscape with a serene sunset in the background; and the
second, a powerful and terrifying waterfall cascading into a collecting pool
and vaguely hidden behind the waterfall, a nest with some baby chicks and a
mother. The kings chose the latter because peace is not something without
trial, but within trials. In the same way, beauty seems to be something that
arrives with opposition, with pain. That is true beauty- pain and joy
commingled- like a Savior dying a gruesome death on a cross for me. Beauty for
the Broken…
And so in the serenity of the woods, I found my theme
for this world race. And I also found that there was hope for me- Beauty for
the Broken. May I look at the Broken and see the Beauty. May I not pull back
from Lover I don’t understand and may I bring Beauty for the Broken.
