Lovelier when Broken

At John Brown last week we talked about existentialism. This theology is basically that we as humans are just matter with no purpose and there is absolutely no God. On the way home from John Brown we began discussing how it would feel to live in a world with no purpose, and how blessed we are that life isn't this way. This got my mind thinking about how broken someone must feel if they think that there is no purpose for living their lives. I believe that God gives us all a purpose, and when we deny him, we feel purposeless because we are also denying our God-given purpose by denying Him. It's amazing the pain that comes when running from the Lord. This week the topic of brokenness has shown up all around me.
Being hurt is one of the things the world tells us we can't own. The world tells us that we have to bury our pain and put on a happy face. But there is something beautiful and a little bit miraculous about admitting defeat, and the sorrow that has taken over one's soul. Being broken isn't a rarity. Everybody has some pain that they try to hide. It is from the Lord that there is a hope for restoration and joy. Being bitter and full of sorrow and anxiety is easy. The hard thing to do, is to own your crap and push through it.
This week I have been constantly struggling with the pain of one of my best friends. We have cried, laughed, and yelled at each other out of pure frustration and healing. It's hard. I quickly found that there was nothing I could do out of my own power. Prayer was the only thing getting us through this. The honesty of prayer was  large part of our healing. It was beautiful to see the healing that came through being honest  about our struggles and the pain of getting through it all. Living in joy and restoration isn't easy, but it is beautiful. Our pain, and our brokenness is what makes all of us unique and what brings us together through Christ.
If nobody was wounded, there would be no diversity, no uniqueness, no beauty. It is pushing past this pain and taking hold of our identity in Christ that makes the body of Christ lovelier each day.