My son played his made-up game of tossing the sofa pillow up in the air, spinning once, catching it.
It was fun until he threw wild and the pillow ended up in the kitchen, landing on something beautiful, fragile, sending porcelain flying. I sucked in my breath and let out a heavy sigh and words.
Why is it the ugly words surface first, squelching the ones that come next? “It’s okay. I know it was an accident.”
After all, by the look on his face, his punishment was in the accidental breaking.
We don’t like broken things. Even with careful hands and strong glue, they are still broken, only “fixed.”
And yet, we live in a broken world. One that could not be fixed with temporary sacrifices and annual sin offerings. It’s a place where ugliness surfaces first.
There was only one way to really fix our broken world.
The loaf of warm bread is passed.
Pieces are broken, torn.
“My body is like this bread,” Jesus tells us. “It will break.”
But this is how God will rescue the whole world. My life will break and God’s broken world will mend. My heart will tear apart–and your hearts will heal.
The only way to heal the brokenness of our world was to break Christ.
God was going to pour into Jesus’ heart all the sadness and sickness and brokenness in people’s hearts. God was going to have to blame his son for everything that had gone wrong. It would crush Jesus.
And even worse than this –all the sin and sickness and ugliness–would be the separation from God. When we willfully turn away from him, choose to be separated. Jesus would carry that too.
He was born to be broken.
In the breaking, we would be fixed.
On this eve of good Friday, which really feels bad at reflection and then good again, I want to remember that day Jesus really fixed our broken world.
The air was strange, the sky shaded dark with shifting clouds and the earth trembled, colored like a bruise.
At His bruising.
The full force of the storm of God’s fierce anger at sin was coming down. On his own Son. Instead of his people (you and me). It was the only way God could destroy sin, and not destroy his children (you and me) whose hearts were filled with sin.
He suffered for our sorrows. He sacrificed for our sins. He silenced our sickness.
He died to be our rescuer.
He lives to mend our broken places,
so that we may glorify Him and help fix our broken world.
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*scriptures are from my favorite Bible
Oh. So. Beautiful…
And…thats my favorite bible too!
Such a beautiful post. I’ve heard great things about that Bible….no kids yet, but I honestly might go guy it for myself!
Well-said and hallelujah for our awesome God who came up with such a perfect plan! Blows my mind every time!
beautifully spoken. I love your favorite Bible, too! AND I’m behind the times…didn’t know about your book!! Congrats!!
Amen~ beautiful post!
So glad I stopped by today to read this. What a beautiful story and a great reminder.
We love that Bible as well. Beautiful post!
So thankful that the perfect lamb was sacrificed for us all. So thankful we can be fixed.
This is so moving. I really appreciate your connection of the gospel to how you treat your kids to how the world is — what a good reminder that grace changes everything.
Wow. What a beautiful reflection for Easter weekend.
I think it is so important to keep in the forefront of our hearts and minds the incredible sacrifice that was made on our behalf. Praise God for His amazing plan.
I’m a first time visitor to your blog, and what an amazing and beautiful post for my first impression. Wishing you & your family, a Happy Easter. (Even f you are THAT family. LOL. ; )
I just stumbled across your blog and I just wanted to say I am really enjoy it. As a Mom of toddler triplets, I am a very busy Mom. Thank you for your perspective and humor.
Kristen, Thanks for such a moving post. Such a fresh perspective that I am really thankful for today.