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Blessed def: divinely or supremely favored; fortunate; blissfully happy or content.
Broken def: ruptured, torn, fragmented, fractured; out of working order, not functioning properly; infringed or violated.
Blessed or Broken
Have you ever been blessed? I hear people when asked, "how are you doing?" answer, "Blessed!". I don't know if I walk around blessed all the time but I know when I feel blessed. When I hit a big commission or am able to leave work early. A three day weekend or a great birthday present leaves me feeling the same way.
What about broken? I know how that feels also. When my first girl friend said "you suck" or my favorite ball team gets beat in the final second. I think you get the picture, anyone who has ever lived knows what it means to be blessed and also broken. But have you ever been both at the same time?
What about both?
"OK", your thinking, "that is just plain dumb! you can't be blessed and broken. Those words are opposites, like exact estimate, or Government organization."
Perhaps your right, they don't go together, it's moronic.....or maybe oxymoron-ic. Can it be? You know, we have all asked for an exact estimate from our mechanic, right?
There is such a thing as a Government Organization: Congress, the Supreme Court....etc, right? What about a multi-tasking male? Yeah, I went too far.
But seriously, can one be blessed and broken at the same time?
Broken def: ruptured, torn, fragmented, fractured; out of working order, not functioning properly; infringed or violated.
Blessed or Broken
Have you ever been blessed? I hear people when asked, "how are you doing?" answer, "Blessed!". I don't know if I walk around blessed all the time but I know when I feel blessed. When I hit a big commission or am able to leave work early. A three day weekend or a great birthday present leaves me feeling the same way.
What about broken? I know how that feels also. When my first girl friend said "you suck" or my favorite ball team gets beat in the final second. I think you get the picture, anyone who has ever lived knows what it means to be blessed and also broken. But have you ever been both at the same time?
What about both?
"OK", your thinking, "that is just plain dumb! you can't be blessed and broken. Those words are opposites, like exact estimate, or Government organization."
Perhaps your right, they don't go together, it's moronic.....or maybe oxymoron-ic. Can it be? You know, we have all asked for an exact estimate from our mechanic, right?
There is such a thing as a Government Organization: Congress, the Supreme Court....etc, right? What about a multi-tasking male? Yeah, I went too far.
But seriously, can one be blessed and broken at the same time?
What did Jesus say?
And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. (Matthew 26:26 KJV)
If anyone has ever been to a communion service at any Christian Church, they have heard this scripture read. Here Jesus takes the bread, the bread that represents His Body, and first He blesses it and then He breaks it. He Blessed and Broke it.
In breaking the bread Jesus was explaining what was to happen to His Body. Hours of brutal beatings which left a blood trail from Gethsemane to Calvary. From incomprehensible pressure of understanding the suffering before Him, to a beating in the Judgement Hall, to a scourging at the Post, to being hung on the Cross, Jesus suffered the insufferable. His Body was broken.
Okay, you get that, easy enough. Broken=Pain & Suffering. Easy to understand. But what about this....His brokenness was also a Blessing? "Huh, say what? You can't be serious? How can pain & Suffering be a blessing?" you ask.
Suffering = Blessing
.....Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. (Hebrews 12:2 NLT)
Jesus as God was all knowing. He knew what suffering he would endure by going to the cross. This was the cause of the agony He suffered in Gethsemane. But He could also see Himself in Glory sitting next to God's throne. He could see the Resurrection and His Glorification! Cause and effect, the Cross led to Glory.
Are you suffering?
I have never known anyone come to the Joy of Christ while they were enjoying their life in this world. When people come and ask for prayer, they are looking for a change and it is because of trouble. A Broken Relationship, health that is not functioning properly, finances that are fractured.
If this results in a Relationship with Jesus, the suffering will ultimately become a blessing.
That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." (1 Corinthians 2:19 NLT)
If you are looking to live a blessed life as a result of your pain, you need a Relationship with Jesus! I'm not talking Religion, I'm talking Relationship. I'm not talking Ritual, I'm talking Relationship!
There is a difference between knowing about Him and actually knowing Him. Do you know Him?
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection BLESSED*, and the fellowship of his sufferings, BROKEN* .......(Philippians 3:10 KJV)
* added by author.
There would have never been a resurrection without a crucifixion.
Thanks for reading.
Your Friend,
Will
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