Broken, Now Mended

Trish and I bought a beautiful "love you" mug from a shop which sells Christmas things all year long. Years later the mug was broken. I tried, as carefully as I could, to glue the handle back on; it never looked "right" so when I bought a ceramic cutting disk for my angle grinder I cut off the repair, leaving it (almost) smooth and tidy. We now use our beautiful mug-without-a-handle as our tooth brush holder. It is still precious to us but it is no longer a mug, it is no longer what it was originally made to be.
 
When Jesus takes us, in all our brokenness, he mends us in a way that we become (firstly) more in line with how He purposed every human to be, in His image and likeness, and (second), He makes us more lovely, more precious.
 
When we become Christian we grow in ways we could not have imagined, (see NOTE 1). Jesus promises this; our growth as God's children is a theme in the Bible. The results of our growing are like the results in our planting pots or garden beds at home; the seeds germinate and sprout then grow and grow, until at the proper time, buds form which flower and the flowers become fruit with new seeds. Just so, Jesus makes fruit in our lives by His Holy Spirit. We are blessed to go along and share in what our Lord is doing.
 
Our fruit? "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control .." (Galatians 5:22-23).
 
The Philippian Christians were able to live well because of the outworking of Jesus’ spiritual fruit in their lives: "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things" (Philippians 4:8).
 
Brokenness And Lost-ness
I now know many people who work in social services or are studying because they want to work with people. There is great need in this field. This need is despite our society being one of the most affluent in all the world and in all of history. Western Australia is resource rich and there is near full employment. The problems come, I believe, from our increasing personal independence from one another, and this is made possible by material abundance. Sad but true. That and the growing "me, me, me" narcistic nature of our society which is fueled by "popular" media: movies and TV, and the immense forces of social media.
 
At a men's breakfast last year, a school chaplain declared that he saw "the biggest single problem in the world is screen time for young people", he went on to say that many of today's young generation will grow up incapable of independent thought. Their opinions are dictated by "influencers" and "celebrities" they will never meet or talk to face-to-face. They are morally paralysed by pornography which is ever present even among school children. Many under twenty-five have decided to never have children; they accept as fact that the known world will soon collapse because of "climate change". Sadly, these same people are unable to define "climate change" in practical terms or even describe how our climate has changed in the past decade or so. But they have been taught to be afraid.
 
Many people today, particularly the young, do not know who they are. They cannot give meaningful answers to any of the Four Big Questions which have been asked by billions of people over the centuries:
1.  Who am I?
2.  Where did I come from?
3.  Why am I here, for what purpose?
4.  What will happen when I die?
 
I see that all this is where so much brokenness and lost-ness come from, and why we have an epidemic of depression and anxiety and our rates of suicide are so frighteningly high. 

Kintsugi is a Japanese art of pottery where broken things are carefully, lovingly and beautifully mended with a mix of gold and resin. Then, instead of being discarded, the treasured article can continue to be useful. It is now more precious because of the work of repair, and from the cost of the gold. We see this beauty in the (I believe public domain) photo.
 
Answers
I am sometimes reminded that answers, even simple suggestions, are always better than cries of disaster. Happily, I see two big answers to these problems.
 
My first answer is "Jesus". At Bible college our theology teacher told us: "during your years here I will ask you many questions: the answer to every question will always be 'Jesus'". I have learned that our teacher spoke truly. It can take a long time to accept this truth, but O the joy when we do: "For in [Jesus] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him" (Colossians 1:16).
 
When we truly have Jesus in our heart we are "born again" (1 Peter 1:22-23). From this our God, (for He does become "ours"), becomes our Father, the world's only perfect father (Galatians 4:6), and also our Lord and our Master (Matthew 28:19-20). He wants us to become available to Him, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, ready to obey His calling, His will. Jesus will lead us saying "follow me" (Matthew 4:19). I have found this to be freeing (John 10:1-4; Galatians 5:1). Even though I am bound with many earthly constraints I learn to live free despite them as I actively work at following Jesus (John 8:36).
 
My second answer is: "seek". Do not give up and just go along with the world. Seriously seek. We are facing a generational epidemic. Thankfully many testify that when they were seeking truth, they found Jesus, and through Him, freedom (Galatians 5:1).
 
What do I mean by "seek"? We can seek with our mind and with our spirit:
 
Seeking with our mind: Everyone can do this. We don't have to be super clever, simply keen and persistent. The seeking is working out what is fact, what is truth, and taking it from there. This is something I have always loved to do, it comes easily to me and I enjoy the challenges. I get huge help by reading and listening to some of the great writers and teachers of science and of Christianity whose intellect has led them to only one conclusion: that a loving, personal God created everything and included them in it, and also sent His Son as Saviour so we all can be rescued from our guilt and shame, our brokenness.
 
Do you love to hang around with friends and discuss the world? I still do and have done since Boy Scout camps, and later in coffee bars when we were still too young to buy beer, (We could make one coffee and a toasted sandwich last an afternoon!).
 
The big thing here is to look at all the foundations and underlying assumptions behind an idea or argument. We can ask: "What are the building-blocks of this idea, this theory? Are they solid and provable? Are the underlying assumptions reasonable, or simply creative leaps of faith? What has been shown to be empirically true about this concept?"
 
It may be good to also ask: "Is there strong disagreement among experts on this subject?" And then to look at both sides. I look for leaps in logic and also for ridicule in the language, these are big tells of poor analysis.
 
(Evolution is a good subject to check out; we are often told that all life evolved from nothing, but I have never found any believable evidence to support this theory. See NOTE 2)).
 
I was not good at high school science because I am not strong in mathematics. But I am good with ideas. I have found that even complex scientific, engineering or social ideas can be explained clearly in simple and complete terms. Many things that I now believe to be false are always described with big underlying assumptions which have no clear foundation, they are still unproven after years of effort by thousands of clever people. These are nothing more than ideas even though they may be widely proclaimed as fact.
 
We are also seeking what everyone needs, an understanding of what is there, what is above and beyond what we can see and touch, the precious intangibles: life, love, beauty, freedom, joy, empathy, forgiveness, compassion. And also those mysterious or spooky things: déjà vu and premonitions (seeing events before they occur), fire dancing without injury, near-death experiences, out-of-body experiences, knowing that you are being watched, telepathy (thinking of someone immediately before they call you, or before a big event in their life). Answered prayer too, where neither doctors nor science can explain a prayed for change.
 
Scientific discussion does not include these things, (certainly not to explain them), even though most people know them to be real. The spiritual world is real, these phenomena all impact our lives because they affect our spirit.
 
The Bible tells us in Genesis 1 and 2 that God spoke and His power, His energy, created all the matter in the universe; (from this I can understand the basis of Einstein’s formula E=MC²). Then life came into the world on God's breath, He spoke and from His life we see life. God is uncreated yet creative, eternal, relational and loving. We see this in Himself: Elohim, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, eternally loving and sharing within the God-head and from there to the whole universe.
 
If people do not know our beginnings, we can see why there is so much doubt, fear, anxiety and depression in the world. Such not-knowing is very hard on our inner person who sees that something essential is missing, so we lose our peace.
 
Seeking answers from God: The other way of seeking is spiritual, everyone can do this too. It is simple, find a place where you can be alone and other people cannot hear you, then cry out to God. You don't even have to believe that He is there. Speak quietly or yell out loud, something like: "O God, if you are real please show yourself to me". I have heard many testimonies where God has answered a cry like this; the people are so happy to share their story! Also, many people have found God and His Son Jesus by reading the Bible which is the “living Word” of God (1 Peter 1:23).
 
(Today I was exercising at our local pool. A guy and I were talking; "the human spirit" came up as we marveled at the wonderful way people responded together after the big 2010 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand. Where did the human spirit come from? Is it real? If the "human spirit" is not spiritual, what is it?)
 
Brokenness

Things break when they fall. The world is fallen, it is broken. People everywhere are now saying that they see this. The big "Fall" occurred when human beings first sinned, when Adam and Eve went against God's will. Sadly, every human since then has also been a fallen sinner (Romans 3:23), we recognise this in our self. We remain sinners until we are "saved" (Matthew 1:21). Only Jesus can mend this brokenness, it seems to me that He does so by saving one life at a time, we then become His people and are set free (John 3:16).
 
Mending: God's Power At Work
One testimony I know well is from a couple who were in London where the husband had a one year work assignment. The couple had been brought up Buddhist. He became very ill and the doctors warned them that he may die. The wife cried out: "Jesus, you God of these English people, if you heal my husband and give him back to me I will serve you with all my heart, all my days". Radical stuff. Almost immediately the husband began to get better, the hospital people were amazed at how soon they were able to release him and he could return to work.
 
The woman investigated Christianity and found it difficult. But she had spoken to God once and been given a miracle; she felt she could talk to Him again. She persevered and Jesus did reveal Himself to her in ways she could not deny. For decades now this lovely wife and mother has led a vibrant and effective healing ministry. Her husband wanted nothing to do with the promise she had made to the God he did not know, but later came willingly to Jesus as he saw his wife change and grow as a person, and as he saw miraculous healings and restorations from her prayers. The couple continue to testify to Jesus' love: "because our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake" (1 Thessalonians 1:5). 

I flew (on a test flight of a new Boeing 747 airplane) over Mount St Helens in Washington State not long before its spectacular 1980 eruption when there was vast devastation; great areas of landscape were suddenly and radically changed. Now, just a few decades later the area is again thriving and beautiful. How does this happen? God mended it. Not "nature" or "time"; nature and time have no will, volition or power. Jesus our Creator God mended it all (Colossians 1:17).
 
We are here on the earth to share with God and to reflect who He is. But, being born into a fallen world, we start life "dead in [our] sins" and "by nature children of wrath" (Ephesians 2:1-3). Is there some way to be mended, to be redeemed, to get past our guilt and sin?
 
Yes, Jesus came to save us!
 
How can we our-self be mended? God always looks to our heart; our heart reflects our spiritual and emotional state. Our heart knows when we are living with something which is not true. He can mend us from guilt and shame, from brokenness from life, from bad memories, even from the effects of traumas, addiction or evil spirits. So many people happily testify new freedom because Jesus helped them.
 
This is why I focus so much on Jesus. The Bible tells us that Jesus is truth, (John 1:14, 17; 2 John 1:3). So I am always seeking truth as I spend time with my lovely Lord.
 
O Lord Jesus, thank you, we see your glory ".. the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).
 
Amen.
 
Favourite Bible Verses

"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me'" (John 14:6).
 
"To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free'" (John 8:31-3).
 
"When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father - the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father - he will testify about me" (John 15:26).
 
"Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths" (Psalm 25:4).
 
"Never take your word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws" (Psalm 119:43).
 
NOTE 1: 

When I was a boy I was sickly for a time. My mother encouraged me to read, she would come home with books from the library. I did not like them. One day she brought home a "Swallows and Amazons" book and I was hooked. I have read every book in that series two or three times and have devoured thousands of books since. I so loved reading I just knew that I wanted to be a writer "when I grew up". So I tried. I read many author autobiographies and learned that the best writers seemed to have learned their craft by writing, not by going to university or taking creative writing classes.
 
I tried to write short stories a number of times, the people who reviewed my efforts all said I should do something else for my work, so I gave up the idea. Since then I have written many, many letters, and possibly hundreds of business reports and manuals while working in IT.

But it was Jesus who got me writing, for Him, from my heart, for life, for joy. He gave me PsalmsOfJohn.com, He gives me all the topics for these pieces, and He helps me write them. Jesus gave me a gift of what I loved but was beyond my reach.

(When I was half awake this morning Jesus reminded me about our "love you" mug .. so lovely; I have simply written what He has given me).
 
Authors often give sincere thanks to their editor. Jesus is my editor, nothing gets posted until I am sure that Jesus is happy with it, that it is on topic, complete, gracious, and useful for discipling others. I am so very grateful. He and I have now been working together on PsalmsOfJohn since 2010, and have begun podcasting the articles beginning last year. It is the most satisfying and fulfilling work I have ever done! Thank you Jesus.
 
NOTE 2: 

"Evolution, akin to religion, involves making certain a priori or metaphysical assumptions, which at some level cannot be proven empirically" (Renowned Canadian science philosopher Dr Michael Ruse). If people could prove that evolution is true then there is no need for a Creator, nor any power to guide and sustain the universe and all life from minute to minute and day to day. But once we conclude that evolution is a falsehood then we surely need our God, the God who we know is there!
 
Dr Ruse likens evolution to a religion, I now believe that it is one, that evolutionists have made an idol of the theory of evolution and worship there. I now turn the sound off when I watch those lovely nature shows on TV, I neither want to listen to, nor participate in their faith journey.
 
(As I type this, I am remembering the song: "When I rise in the morning, give me Jesus!") 
 
Millions of people have come to Jesus by working out that:
• Everything had to start somewhere – true, from all the laws of physics, chemistry, thermodynamics and biogenesis.
• The complexity, compatibility and symbiosis of life had to be designed and carefully built – true in line with the rules of logic.
• Love, like all the other intangibles, is real – true, according to the observations of every person who ever lived.
• DNA could never have spontaneously formed – true, DNA is itself a design and construction tool which occurs in every cell in every living thing.
• People are made differently from every other creature – true, we have a spirit, just like our Creator who is Spirit (John 4:24). Also humans are creative, just as God is (Genesis 1:1); we make bread, bridges, buttons, books, baskets, boats. And bats and balls for fun.
 
"Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse" (Romans 1:19-20).
 
Praise Jesus. Hallelujah! Amen.
 
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