Broken - Supporting Thoughts

Below is an excerpt from the journal of man named Mike Yaconelli. Who he is isn’t important. What he writes is. Hopefully his thoughts will help your perspective on what Broken is all about.


"…Finally, I accepted my brokenness…I had never come to terms with that. Let me explain. I knew I was broken. I knew I was a sinner. I knew I continually disappointed God, but I could never accept that part of me. It was a part of me that embarrassed me. I continually felt the need to apologize, to run from my weaknesses, to deny who I was and concentrate on what I should be. I was broken, yes, but I was continually trying never to be broken again-or at least to get to the place where I was very seldom broken…
During the retreat, it became very clear to me that I had totally misunderstood the Christian faith. I came to see that it was in my brokenness, in my powerlessness, in my weakness that Jesus was made strong. It was in the acceptance of my lack of faith that God could give me faith. It was in the embracing of my brokenness that I could identify with other’s brokenness. It was my role to identify with others’ pain, not relieve it. Ministry was sharing, not dominating; understanding not theologizing; caring, not fixing.
What does all this mean?
I don’t know…and to be quite blunt, that is the wrong question. I only know that at certain times in all of our lives, we make an adjustment in the course of our lives. This was one of those times for me. If you were to look at a map of my life, you would not be aware of any noticeable differences other than a slight change in direction. I can only tell you it feels very different now. There is an anticipation, and electricity about God’s presence in my life that I have never experienced before. I can only tell you that for the first time in my life I can hear Jesus whisper to me every day, “I love you. You are beloved.” And for some strange reason, that seems to be enough."

- Mike Yaconelli, The Back Door