Nobody likes to be broken. It is not a pleasant process. That is exactly what Turner and I did this morning in our summer workout program. We broke young undisciplined athletes down in their running form. All the way down. They looked awkward. They looked uncoordinated. They felt uncomfortable and there were a few giggles as they tried to follow the pattern of drills demonstrated to them. It was time to break down bad habits and to try to instill new correct habits of running more efficiently and effectively. The goal at the end of the summer is that each of these athletes will get faster and stronger. In between now and then, there will be a lot more breaking down bad form and learning new ones.
God breaks us down. He strips us of sinful habits, reconstructs broken hearts, renews attitudes, and restores hope. The breaking down God does to us is often painful. To break a stubborn person like me is not easy. Brenda and I laughed the other day that not only am I as stubborn as a mule, she jokingly said as stubborn as three mules. Guilty as charged.
That stubbornness enrolled me in a front row seat in the school of brokenness. Like a young colt being broke with saddle and rider, I often rebelled and bucked in resistance. I revolted to the idea of breaking and kept wanting to do things my stubborn way. God increased the pressure. He had to dig in deep to cut away long engrained habits that were toxic. Like a master sculptor shaping granite with chisel and hammer, God has taken the chisel to me several times. He has smoothed out some rough edges. He has hammered away pieces that were jagged and unappealing.
In the middle of the pain, we are often confused. It does not feel like God loves us, but this is not true. The breaking of God is proof of His love and patience. He is making us a useful vessel. A vessel of honor and beauty It can be a long process depending on our willingness to submit.
The doctor's scalpel is painful, but it can lead to healing restoration in the body. Two of my sons endured five ACL reconstructive surgeries. One had to endure a shoulder surgery. In the end, the pain of breaking through the skin and other tissues produced healing in the long run.
Watching those young men run today, it was evident that they wanted to revert to long engrained bad habits. That seemed natural. To learn a new way felt unnatural. It does not make sense in the moment. They run faster doing it the old way. Yet their potential is severely limited. If they submit to the breaking and learn to do things the proper way, their potential is infinitely increased.
Do we want to be useful to God? That might require Him breaking some areas in our lives. The end result might be greater effectiveness in ministry. The process of getting to that effectiveness might be painful and unpleasant. Temporary pain for eternal glory could be our motto. Like I heard my coaches say, "No pain no gain." I hope we will all be open to a little pain from God in shaping us to greater gains in building His kingdom. He does not break us down for the sake of watching us suffer. He breaks us down to build us up again. The gains I have seen have been worth the pain. I hope you experience the same as well.
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