A favorite trope of family sitcoms goes something like this: child enters scene, child gets in trouble, mom yells a tried-and-true proverb at child, child storms off, mom’s eyes wide, mom says out loud, “Oh no, I’ve become my mother!” Cue fake audience laughter and cut to commercial. We laugh because we too often experience this very scenario in our own lives or in the lives of our friends. Christians fall into this scenario as well. We blame Eve for cramps during our periods, for disobedient children, for fights with our husbands, for warfare, for poverty, for the brokenness we encounter on a regular basis. Yet, if we take an honest look at ourselves, we would have eaten from the forbidden tree too.
The Eve in Us All
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned,
like mothers, like daughters
Yesterday we discussed the brokenness we inherited from our first parents. And, though we could spend time lambasting their mistakes, we should only do so in rooms with no mirrors. Scripture and our own lives testify to us that we, like Eve, choose to listen to the voice of the liar instead of the voice of God. We not only choose to sin—we enjoy it. Sometimes we even celebrate it, or tweet it, or Instagram it. We then look around us and find others to drag with us to participate in it. We rebel often and with gusto.
fallen nature
When Adam and Eve sinned, they created original sin—a term the church has historically defined as the effects of their first sin. We inherited a fallen nature that changes our appetite toward things God has forbidden. As some would say, “We are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners.” In other words, we are obedient slaves to sin longing to be set free from this bondage.
are we really that bad?
This truth might be hard to swallow. It seems like a harsh way to view humanity. Yet we scream at those we love the most, we exploit others for our own satisfaction, and we struggle to really love ourselves every day. Instead of thinking this is too low a view of humanity, what if we turned the coin over and realized how great a salvation God offers? Humans who need only a little salvation to stop doing bad things do not need a great God to do so—they need behavior modification. But humans who recognize their utter brokenness know they need a cosmic salvation to not only change their behavior, but to also change their very nature. Eve ate the apple, and now we crave apple pie. We need a gospel that not only helps us put down the apple, but also changes us to no longer desire forbidden fruit.
But humans who recognize their utter brokenness know they need a cosmic salvation to not only change their behavior, but to also change their very nature.
Watch Session One
Created for This
Daily Question
How have you felt the effects of brokenness in your own life? What do you need God to heal in your life?
Comments (10)
Thank you to our study partner
Sign up for IF:Equip
Get the Daily Devotionals Emailed to You
Yes, I feel the effects of brokenness. It comes when I take offense at the behavior of others. My stomach starts churning and I revel in their imperfections. In my mind I put them down and shake my head over their folly. Well, I share their folly. I am their folly. Something about the log in my eye and the mote in theirs. I need God to heal this. I know this. The only thing is…I forget to ask for His help. God will only come in when He is asked. How could I forget to ask, you wonder? Asking Him goes a long way toward His solution. Well the only answer is…I am broken. I am rebellious. I don’t want anyone, even God, to be in charge of my life. Even if it means peace. Even if it means love. Even if it means joy. Yes, such an insane way of thinking. This is main reason I am part of this bible study.
Disappointment in others. No connection with family. Feel left out. Now realize I am never really alone. God is with me always.
I was very broken with the loss of my spouse after almost 46 years of marriage due to his death. I kept telling myself that God was with me and at my side. My faith in his love for me as his child has brought me thru a very difficult season.
I’m still healing from the brokeness of growing up in a broken family. God has been so gracious, healing so many of life’s memories and giving me a new vision for my future and my family’s future. With all these blessing He has poured out on me, things still pop up.. oh again I need to go to the seat of Gods throne and ask forgiveness. Letting Hos grace wash over me, cleansing me, making me new again thank you Jesus for loving me so much that you are still working everyday to create in my a heart more like yours.
I feel as though my sins are the utter brokenness in my life as well as the difficulty I have accepting my self image. When I focus so much on those things, life is broken and sad and flavorless. I have no spark of joy from God, because all I do is push His Word away from my mind and thoughts. I pray that God can continue to reveal himself to me through the idea that we are perfectly imperfect. The only perfect person in this world is God and God alone. I pray that I can go to His Word and know how loved I am as the perfectly imperfect young woman I am.
I’m broken because my daughter has fallen away from the gospel. She is rejecting him for the desires of the sin of this world which is carnal and so temporary. I keep holding on to scripture that she will return.
First these sentences: “Humans who need only a little salvation to stop doing bad things do not need a great God to do so—they need behavior modification. But humans who recognize their utter brokenness know they need a cosmic salvation to not only change their behavior, but to also change their very nature.”
Whew! That one is deep!
My brain constantly goes to parenting. I want my kids to choose to do and say what’s right. I try to teach this because kindness is a good thing, but we are inherently broken. It hurts my heart deeply when they choose to do what’s wrong even though “they should know better.” I often will say, “you know better; we’ve talked about this.” But just because the knowledge is there, our hearts sometimes still choose what’s wrong. I need healing and so do my kids. I’m trying to teach them grace and that we do often choose sin on our own and we need the Lord to guide our paths. I need Jesus’ healing power to combine knowledge and action. I want to do better instead of just know better.
In my past before I came to Christ, I felt my brokenness in the form of depression and rage. I didn’t know how to control my triggers and bc of that I would see red or I would cry out of no where. After quite some time, I knew it was time to seek help through God and find a church to hear His message. After finding my church, I was able to find freedom from my bondage. I thank God everyday for rescuing me from my darkness.
Brokenness tends to lord over you. It’s present with every decision that is made. It causes one to take a pause or to be stagnant, instead of moving forward. It is a constant reminder of the vulnerability that did not yield the results expected. God’s healing assists in working through those areas where we have been crushed. It is when we are most vulnerable and broken that we are sensitive to His touch and love. We are able to receive what He desires to share with us, allowing the healing process to begin.
I grew up in the church. By God’s grace, through faithful parents, I knew that Jesus died for my sins and accepted his salvation before I could read. Yet I’ve struggled to find the freedom for which Christ died for in my walk with Him and often approach the life of faith more as a daily exercise in “behavior modification” than one covered in grace and empowered by the Spirit. It was helpful to consider how my own rebellion echos that of Eve and it’s far-reaching effects in light of the Gospel. If it weren’t for the hope of being delivered by one far more powerful than me, I’m not sure it would be possible for me to be honest about my own sinful tendencies and actions. I need God to heal my skewed perceptions of the Gospel and His expectations of me so I can lean more heavily into His power and not on my own cycle of striving-failing- and telling God “I’ll do better next time…” It’s no wonder the Gospel is good news. It frees us from a heavy burden we cannot possibly carry. I know simply because I’ve tried.