Be Broken No More

BY: NIKKI MICHELLE CHARNSTROM

 

NOTE: This blog was first published on WeAreBeautiful.org on March 4, 2017.

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Life comes with a load of brokenness. Depending on the season we’re walking through, sometimes our haul is manageable and other times we find ourselves huffing from exhaustion. Brokenness comes in many different forms and takes on personas we hoped it never would. 

I’ve experienced brokenness lately in an array of different shapes and sizes, each carrying its own burden. A few weeks ago I received a rejection letter for a fellowship I applied for. That thing took every little piece of me. I had never worked so hard at something and to see it all fall away is hard to accept. One morning not long ago I woke up and my great grandfather was in hospice. The devastating thing is he lives states away. He passed away that same day. In the most recent news, a close friend let me down. At the moment, I am not quite sure where our relationship stands. 

I don’t share these things with you to invite you to my own personal pity party but to relate to your own brokenness. The world is filled with so many complications and it’s impossible to live life without facing those, because let’s face it you and I aren’t perfect. Now, with all that’s happened within the past month I could easily dodge under my favorite blanket and cry. Friends, let's admit it sometimes you need to (I would be lying if I said I didn’t do this). The important thing is that you get up, throw that blanket aside and say, “I’m strong but My God is stronger.” 

John explains the beautiful word “overcome” in the final chapter of his first letter. Doesn’t that just ring ever-so sweetly in your ear? We are overcomers because it’s in our blood. Christ is our role model when it comes to victory. He faced ridicule, physical pain, death on the cross, the finality of grave, and yet He sits at the right hand of the Father. 

“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith.” 1 John 5:4

We are apart of a royal bloodline with a victorious heritage. Because we love the Father, we love the Son and because we keep His commandments, we are branded as overcomers. In verse three, Paul mentions there is something in our life that is guaranteed to be burden free — the Lord’s commandments. When we follow His instructions, there is no load. But He doesn’t just stop there because He carries our everyday human brokenness too.

When I opened my email to find the rejection letter, I just sobbed but I could feel the arms of Jesus holding me. As soon as I heard the news of my grandpa, my heart ached for my family but I knew Who was in control. Right now as I navigate through what feels like a faulty friendship, I lean on Him for guidance. Because of my faith and my God, I have victory over each one of these broken situations. 

The same goes for you. You may be carrying the load of anxiety but He’s so ready to calm the raging ocean of your heart. You may be the “do-it-all” who doesn’t know how to say “no” but He’s whispering “slow down.” You might wake up to the reality of an addiction but He’s everything you need. You may be dealing with overwhelming loneliness, covering it up so no one notices, but He sees you and He loves you. 

It’s normal to experience brokenness but we don’t have to react in a routine way. We can turn our gaze toward the Almighty Father and ask Him to carry our load. He knows better than anyone else how you feel because He faced everything you do under the same sun. His selfless, sinless life is our open door to freedom. No longer do we have to associate ourselves with our loads, instead we can bask in the promise of eternal life and faith-filled victories. 

“This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” 1 John 5:14-15

Lately, I’ve been in the habit of picturing Jesus beside me. Whether that’s Him sitting in the passenger seat on my way to work or holding my hand as I pray, He’s there. It sounds strange, I know, but I have found peace in mentally painting His face into my world. Somehow it solidifies His words in Matthew 28:20, “I am with you always.” 

I encourage you to try this. If it works for you great and if not, then I trust you’ll find your own tailored method to finding peace. One thing I do want you to take away from this is the power of your faith. While God holds every answer in the book, you first have to ask the question. Trade in your brokenness upon brokenness for the victory that comes by unrelenting faith. You are an overcomer. 


Nikki is the owner and founder of Crowned Chics. She lives in the warm desert of Phoenix, Arizona with her beloved family. If she's not ferociously clanking away on her typewriter, she's behind the camera capturing moments for her business Charnstrom Captures Photography.