One thing I am learning as our family continues to serve at the Motel Church is this: People are broken.
Not just the people at the Motel - all of us.
Sometimes it's easier for us to see how broken the people at the Motel might be, because they can't afford nice masks like we can. When they have a bad day, or feel emotionally abandoned, or lose their job, or get hurt by someone they trusted, they can't just jump in the car and go shopping, or take themselves out to eat at their favorite restaurant, or indulge in their favorite hobby. Instead, they have to drown their pain in alcohol, or erase it with drugs, or replace it with casual sex, or maybe even create an elaborate fantasy world where they are someone else - someone who has it together and is worthy of love and honor and respect.
But we are all broken. All of us.
Some of us are full of pride. Others struggle with anger. Some are enslaved by lust. Others are entangled by unforgiveness, or greed, or maybe even religion or politics.
But we are all broken. Every single one of us.
Yes, even the leaders are broken. The guy who stands up in front of everyone with the smile and the bible. He's broken, too. The guy who plays the worship song on the guitar and sings so pretty. Also broken. The one who brings the food for everyone to share. Broken.
You've never met anyone who isn't broken.
We might not all be broken in the same places, or in the same way, but we are all still very broken.
So, we are not only serving people who are broken. We are broken people who are serving and loving other people who are also broken.
If some of those you serve display their brokenness, please don't add to their pain by withholding your love, or your trust. Remember your own broken soul. Try to see in their brokenness your own flaws and weakness.
Rather than shaking our fist at the darkness for being so dark, let's find ways to bring more light so that everyone can see a little better without stumbling around in the shadows.
A spirit of judgment against others is a sign of your own brokenness. Return to the source of love and mercy for a brand new dose. Take as much as you need for yourself, but please take a little bit extra to share with the rest of us. We are in need of His love and mercy, too.
Because we're all broken, just like you.
The good news is that Jesus came for broken people.
"Blessed are those who are broken, for they will be made whole."
-kg
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” – (2 Cor. 4:7)
Related Post:
A Broken God For A Broken People by Vilbert Vallence
VIDEO:
ALL MY FAVORITE PEOPLE ARE BROKEN by Over The Rhine
