Everyday is a journey and training camp for the World Race has been no different. Well ok it is a little different. It is uncomfortably cold, our toilets are port a johns, there are no sinks, the showers are cold, I have worn most clothes (including underwear) at least 2x, I sleep in a mummy bag and we eat food in accordance with themes of the World. We have walked into a crowd of 55 strangers that we will call family for the next year of our life and beyond. Over the course of the last 5 days that is what they have become. We have laughed, cried, sang, danced, exercised, played, prayed, slept, & even cuddled (we will do what it takes to stay warm)! We have been vulnerable and real. We have shared our weaknesses and our strengths. We have shared our stories and praised our Father for the redemption that is evident in each of our lives. We have grieved and we have surrendered. We have worshiped and shouted praise to the One who deserves all the glory. And we have worked together to lead one another to the only place that matters, the Cross.
According to dictionary.com, brokeness is defined as something that is: “ruptured, torn, fractured; not functioning properly, out of working order”. Over the time here at camp we have heard the Father speak clearly that this is where He wants each and everyone of us to be. He wants us not functioning properly. He wants all that we are to be torn apart and ruptured. He wants us out of working order on our own ability because only then can He really use us in the way He wants too. Only when we are torn apart and broken down will the power and presence of His Spirit permeate every area of our life and the people who come in contact with us. When we are broken, we are whole. Through grief and surrender, through the exposure of the lies that deceive us, to the acknowledgment of our fear of rejection and the need for us to submit complete control, we are experiencing true brokenness. Within that brokenness is freedom, peace, and the presence of an Almighty God consuming the broken places of our hearts.
There was a good quote a few weeks ago on Greys Anatomy that I’ll conclude with. Meredith Grey has great thoughts at the end, and I believe this one is fitting. “Bones break, organ’s burst, flesh tears – we can sew the flesh, repair the damage and ease the pain. When life breaks down, when we break down, there’s no science, there’s no hard and fast rules, we just have to feel our way through it. And to a surgeon there is nothing worse and nothing better.” I believe that quote speaks much truth to what I have experienced this week in regards to brokenness. From a believer’s perspective, I believe we must feel our way through brokeness with God and by the power of the Holy Spirit. I believe the process is hard and messy, but in the end there is nothing better because it brings healing, freedom and growth as you discover more of your identity in Christ.
