Daily Reflections From God's Word

Tag: Brokenness

  • Broken But Not Bitter: Returning to God When Life Hurts

    Broken But Not Bitter: Returning to God When Life Hurts

    Brokenness isn’t a matter of if—it’s a matter of when. Every one of us lives long enough to experience it: a friend walks away, a promise goes unfulfilled, a prayer goes unanswered. Life hits hard sometimes, and when it does, we don’t just end up with broken circumstances—we end up with broken expectations, broken trust, even broken hearts.

    Henri Nouwen put it like this:

    “Our life is full of brokenness—broken relationships, broken promises, broken expectations. How can we live with that brokenness without becoming bitter and resentful except by returning again and again to God’s faithful presence in our lives?”

    Bitterness is the natural outcome of unhealed brokenness.

    It settles in quietly.

    You start building walls instead of bridges.

    You stop expecting good things from God—or people.

    You stop praying like you used to.

    You stop returning.

    But here’s the invitation of the gospel: Come back. Again. And again. And again.

    God is not weary of your return. He doesn’t count how many times you’ve had to start over. He just wants your heart. Even if it’s still bleeding.

    “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit.” (Psalm 34:18, NKJV)

    “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22–23, NKJV)

    Your brokenness doesn’t disqualify you—it’s what draws His nearness. If you feel weary, distant, or numb… don’t run from God. Run to Him. Take the broken pieces and lay them before the only One who can turn ashes into beauty and mourning into joy.

    This isn’t about fixing yourself. It’s about trusting the God who still draws near, even when your heart’s in pieces.

    So here’s today’s reflection:

    • What broken pieces are you still carrying?
    • Have they hardened you—or humbled you?
    • What’s one way you can return to God’s faithful presence right now?

    You’re not too far gone. You’re not too broken. You’re just one return away from restoration.

  • The Bargain and the Broken Box

    On Holy Wednesday, two people made two very different decisions—one sold the Savior, and the other poured everything out at His feet.

    It began with a cold exchange. Judas Iscariot went to the chief priests—not the other way around.

    “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” (Matthew 26:15).

    There’s no emotion in the text.

    Just calculation.

    He didn’t plead or wrestle.

    He named the price of betrayal and took the deal.

    Thirty pieces of silver.

    The cost of a slave.

    That’s what they believed Jesus was worth.

    That’s what Judas accepted.

    We can almost picture the smirk on Caiaphas’ face, the scribes nodding in approval, the money counted out and dropped into Judas’ hand with a metallic clink.

    Done deal.

    The Son of God sold for pocket change.

    No prayer.

    No hesitation.

    Just a transaction.

    A soul for sale.

    But while Judas was closing his bargain, a broken woman was stepping into a Pharisee’s house to pour out her heart.

    The setting couldn’t have been more different. Jesus was dining at the home of Simon the Pharisee when a woman walked in carrying an alabaster flask of fragrant oil. Luke 7 describes her only as “a sinner.” Her name isn’t mentioned here, but many believe this was Mary Magdalene—a woman who knew what it meant to be shunned, whispered about, and cast aside.

    She didn’t ask to speak.

    She didn’t make a scene.

    She just knelt behind Jesus and wept.

    Tears poured from her soul before any oil left the jar.

    She wiped His feet with her hair.

    She kissed them.

    Then she broke open the alabaster box and anointed Him with perfume that would’ve cost nearly a year’s wages.

    CeCe Winans captures the moment in the song “Alabaster Box”:

    “I can’t forget the way life used to be, I was a prisoner to the sin that had me bound…But I’ve come to pour My praise on Him like oil, From my alabaster box.”

    While Simon judged her silently, Jesus told a parable: two debtors, one owing much and the other little. Both were forgiven. “Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” (Luke 7:42). Simon answered, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”

    And Jesus said, “You have rightly judged.” Then turning to the woman, He said, “Her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” (v. 47)

    Both Judas and Mary encountered Jesus face to face.

    Both had the chance to respond to who He truly was.

    One chose betrayal.

    One chose brokenness.

    One calculated what Jesus was worth.

    The other couldn’t put a price on what He had done for her.

    And today, we stand in that same tension.

    Will we grow so familiar with Jesus that we start measuring His worth in silver? Or will we fall at His feet in worship, tears, and surrender?

    Holy Wednesday reminds us: It’s not how far you’ve fallen—it’s how deeply you realize you’ve been forgiven.

    Let’s not hold back. Let’s break the box.

    Prayer: Lord, don’t let my love grow cold. Break through my pride and self-reliance. Remind me of the mercy that found me. Teach me to pour out my worship freely and to never withhold what You deserve. In Jesus’ name, amen.