How do you respond to brokenness in the world?

Brokenness happens for various reasons and comes in many different forms. I am constantly reminded of that. 

Just this week, four people lost their lives in a plane crash a few miles from our house.

In June, a dad in Honolulu murdered his seven-year old son before hanging and killing himself.

A few weeks ago, a 6.7-magnitude earthquake in Turkey claimed two lives and injured over 500 people.

Brokenness is all around us. 

Natural disasters, sickness, homelessness, immigration, war, poverty, tyranny, death, violence, loss, broken dreams, broken families, broken marriage, etc.

In light of all this, followers of Jesus need to wrestle with this question, "How will I respond to the brokenness in others?"

We generally respond in one of three ways:

Critical attitude
Our critical attitude causes us to avoid those who are broken. Instead of empathizing, praying or getting involved, we tend to avoid those who are broken and look down on them. 

To justify our negative feelings toward those who are struggling through brokenness, we try to find answers to questions that hide our guilt.

That is why we find ourselves asking:

“How and why did this person come to this point of brokenness?”

“Foolish choices or actions?”

“Are these consequenceof not following God?”

Just like religious people of Jesus' time, we do not like to engage in people's brokenness because brokenness is hard, painful, and messy.

We avoid involvement in other people's brokenness by blaming them for their suffering and brokenness--that maybe their choices and actions led to their current conditions. This gives us reason to avoid walking with them. Instead of truly loving and empathizing, we become critical. 

Whether someone's brokenness is a result of their doing or not, our obedience to God in responding to the brokenness of others, gives us a chance to see God work through us. 

During Jesus' time, religious leaders and people in general saw physical brokenness as a curse from God. You and I would probably have the same attitude if placed in a similar situation. 

Jesus' disciples asked Jesus about a blind man. They asked whether the man was born blind because of his sins or because of his parents' sins. Jesus responded, "It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him." (John 9:2)

Jesus shows us an example of what our response needs to look like when we are confronted with brokenness.

The world will ask us reasons for brokenness, evil, and suffering. We may never know the answers. But what we should know is that all brokenness presents opportunities to display the work of God and to spread the Gospel. 

Neutral
Neutrality causes us to not be involved even if we feel bad. Even if we know what is right, we are more content with what is comfortable.  

As a result, we make excuses such as: "Someone else will do it," "I'm not qualified," "I'm too busy," "I don't want to get dirty" and the list goes on and on.

In the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), I often find myself looking down and becoming angry at the Priest and the Levite who passed by the man beaten by robbers. 

We praise the Samaritan for helping the beaten man. He gave up time, effort, resources, and money. We vilify the Priest and Levite and often like to think of ourselves as being more like the Samaritan. 

Truth is that my natural heart is a lot like the Priest and Levite and not like the Samaritan.

My flesh reverts to neutrality, which causes me to make excuses and miss many opportunities that God is giving me.

In our tendency toward neutrality, we need to constantly wrestle with these questions: 

"Why am I neutral?" 

"Have I sought God?" 

"If God is calling me to this, why am I not obeying Him?

Get involved
Brokenness is all around us. That means that on the people to people level, there are many ways to get involved with people's brokenness through ministries, organizations, or your own personal initiatives.

When brokenness impacts communities, people groups, or countries, we have opportunity to enter into brokenness through: Disaster relief, rescuing people from human trafficking, building water wells, providing medical supplies, going on mission trips, and providing finances and resources

Jesus was involved. 

The Bible is filled with stories of Jesus meeting people at the point of their brokenness.

Jesus engaged with people in their brokenness, weakness and suffering. Jesus hung out with the poor, outcasts, dying, diseased, criminals, prostitutes. He walked among broken people and loved them.

Jesus revealed God.

But Jesus' purpose for engaging in people's brokenness was more than just doing good and being a nice person.

It was about the Gospel.

In entering people's brokenness, Jesus gives us a picture of a bigger reality. You see, the story of the Gospel is about Jesus entering a world broken by sin. Jesus came to live among us, die for our sins, and give us new life through Him. 

Just thinking about that should remind us of our own brokenness and need for Jesus. Jesus models what it means to walk with those who are broken. 

He chose to enter into our broken world to provide the only way to God. Jesus provides humanity’s only hope in this broken world.

This is a beautiful picture of the Gospel and should be a reminder of God's grace toward us. 

We are broken and live in a broken world because of sin. We deserve the consequences of sin. But through our faith in Jesus, His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, we have eternal life with God.

So instead of being critical or neutral, we need to seek God, and ask Him, 

"Do you want me to be involved?" 

"If so, please show me how my involvement will bring you glory." 

"Please show me how my involvement will lead people to Jesus and reflect the Gospel."

God will speak to you and show you.

We should enter people's brokenness out of obedience to Jesus and a genuine love for people--not out of guilt, compulsion, or peer pressure.

Getting involved gives us a chance to point people to Jesus and share the Gospel.

How will you respond?

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