Broken People – Set Free – Made To Love

That which is repaired is made again to be put back into service.

A clunky old washing machine is taken into the caring detail of the handyman; he changes its bearings, belts and seals. It is given a spit and polish. Every need is first observed, then attended to. Once finished, out it goes to the customer to play its part.

From Brokenness to Brokenness

Many come to the Lord broken and weary. Life has chewed them up and spat them out. The way life was is no longer; it could not continue.

Like the good-for-no-longer washing machine, that manner of living reached its use-by date.

Then we came into the Sanctuary that is God.

For a time, perhaps, we tasted the re-birth, grew and developed—from within the confines of the Sanctuary. Safety was a key idea as the demands of service were beyond us.

At some point we arrived—at least to the point of wanting to go out of the Sanctuary, to rejoin the community, and certainly take part in the community of God—the church.

But, importantly, we recognised that we had gone from one level of brokenness—the good-for-no-longer-in-same-state—to another level where, we were revived for what was always intended to be our service... now entirely for, or based in, the Lord. We were now happily reliant on Divine help.

We realised, with a satisfied finality, that brokenness wasn’t the end, but an important beginning!

The Mandate Past Brokenness – Made to Love

We’re saved to serve. I think of it that much it’s becoming cliché in my mind—and like most people, I don’t like cliché.

It is necessary to know, however, that once we’re ‘repaired’ and made serviceable again—like the washing machine—there should be a desire to do what we can; to follow the calling God’s placed on our hearts.

This is essentially a proclamation: Made to Love.

No longer are we given to hurting people, or receiving others in hurtful ways—though we will continue to transgress. We’ll live a dichotomy. Seeing hurt, we’ll respond. Restitution is possible because it’s necessary. Embarrassing as that is, we’ll buckle to the need of it, because it’s the Lord’s will.

Being Made to Love is a catchphrase for the entire world to see; not that we’re the perfect exemplification of it—only Jesus is or ever will be.

We don’t allow our failures to live out Made to Love deter us.

Those are a classic test of our humility.

Made to Love is the saving of us, day by day. It’s what connects us interminably with our Redeemer.

© 2011 S. J. Wickham.