Broken Things

As I was hanging clothes on my broken clothes line this morning, I started myself a little pity party. My inner monologue went something like this, as I hung clothes on my busted line, "Sure would be nice if this line was working properly but it is broken and that is how things go around here. We break things and they never get fixed but they are things we need so I continue to use them in their broken form." Off the top of my head, I can think of a few things around here that are broken but still used. Our lawn mower - the riding one is busted beyond use. The push mower is not in good shape - there is a wheel that continually messes up or falls off (yes, falls off). My vacuum cleaner has some sort of short so that every time I pull it back, it stops working. Makes for interesting vacuuming. We have a number of chairs that should hit the trash, they are broken. Oh, the weed eater too...it is being held together by duct tape. Oh and how could I forget the Honda? Our 2006 Honda Civic is broken too...and now I am living my life without a vehicle.

My mind went to brokenness in a different light. Broken people, broken spirits, broken lives. What does God think of brokenness? what are we to think of brokenness? Am *I* broken beyond repair? Has my heart been broken? How do we fix what is broken - can only God fix the broken? I recall something in the Psalms that goes something like this 'a broken and contrite heart you will not despise...' I need to do some digging in scripture to discover what it has to say about brokenness. After all it is LIVING and active and sharper than any 2 edges sword...able to cut to the deepest parts...

This will probably be an ongoin study for me. In fact I have even less time than I thought, so only one verse this morning!
Psalms 34:18
18The LORD is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Brokenhearted and crushed in spirit...are they one in the same? Going to look at a few more translations of that. The King James says it like this: 18The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Ok, kids calling...I am going to do a little more digging on the concept of a 'contrite spirit'!