Power & Pleasure

Humpty Dumpty is not a typical example of success. He had a great fall. And from then on, he could not be put back together. He was, as the story goes, beyond repair.

Sometimes I feel beyond repair. And, to be honest, I hate that feeling. You know, that nagging sense that something “still isn’t right” with the way I think, feel, and act— like it has been tainted to the core. As Natalie Grant sings, “This is how it feels when the sacred is torn from your life, and you survive.” Every day, I see the effects of Eden. And because of that, the world continually feels corrupt in how it operates, manipulates, and seduces. Everything—including me—feels broken. And I often wish I could just fix it.

In that, I would dare to say most of us Americans despise brokenness. We have trash heaps dedicated to our ideals of perfection. Out with the old, in with the new. It’s as simple as a Tuesday pick-up to sweep away the mess. Why can’t life be so simple?

A friend of mine once shared about an illustration performed at his church. The youth pastor attempted to play a tape for the students. When it wouldn’t work, he grew “angry” and threw the player to the ground, breaking it. He then looked at the youth group, who were all shocked at his display, and said calmly: “We just don’t like brokenness, do we?”

…

Forgiveness in Christ seems pretty straightforward, too. Jesus, by His work on the cross, has cleansed us. We have been made new. Death to the old man, life to the new man. Why then doesn’t my new life feel so cut and dry now?

In Running on Empty, Fil Anderson writes: “I shudder when I recall the countless times I have led broken people to believe that if they will entrust their lives to Jesus, their troubles will cease and they will enjoy complete and fulfilling lives. As much curb appeal as this message may have, it’s not even close to what God promised. What we see in the Scriptures is actually much greater. We find the implausible promise that God has broken into our brokenness to find us there, and yet—and this is important—there is no promise anywhere that having found us he will paste our fractured life back together the way we want.”

There is a felt tension, often explained by theologians, as shown in the scriptures, called the reality of now, but not yet. That is, in Christ, we have been forgiven today and made new on earth (justified), but we are still being perfected, or sanctified. On that day (i.e. our death or Christ’s return, whichever comes first), we will be fully glorified. We have been saved, but we are still being saved. Now, but not yet.

So, truth is, I am still a broken man. Yes, I am a forgiven man. I am a loved man. I have been given good gifts. I have been given the best gift—Jesus, and eternal worship of Him. I have been saved by grace through faith. But, I am still a work in progress.

Moreover, I am tempted toward power and pleasure now. I like to feel in control today. I love to be noticed and made to feel important. I like to feel good. I don’t like to wait for things. I want it all, and I want it…NOW! That is the love of the world fleshed out as I still live under the practice of sin, while actually freed from its power (1 John 2:15-17; Romans 6:22).

I think we all struggle with the temptation, even as we come together as local bodies. At times, we scheme in our minds: “If I give my money to this church, will it come with the power I then deserve?” We scheme in our hearts: “If I invest my time at this church, will it be matched with the pleasure I now desire?” And, being fooled by the world’s promise of success, we put on plastic faces for each other, refusing to be viewed as broken.

But Jesus has another strategy for me: embracing brokenness; walking in meekness; recognizing my spiritual poverty; humbling myself. In fact, here is the seeming paradox, but spiritual reality. In brokenness, I have true power and pleasure. 2 Corinthians 12 shows us that, in weakness, God’s power is made perfect. Psalm 51 tells us that, in worship, a broken and contrite heart brings God delight.

When truly broken (as in, rightly seeing my sin in light of God’s holiness), I often feel the opposite of strong and happy. But faith is not just about feelings. It’s about assuming my rightful place, under the mighty hand of God who cares for me and longs to fill me with everlasting joy. When we assume this posture in our brokenness, others see the Lord in us. We carry this treasure in earthen vessels. Thus, our cracks allow even more Light to come through. I make much of Him, less of me…

In that, I may even seek to enter the brokenness of others. Indeed, there are two kinds of pain in this world: the pain we endure ourselves and the pain we willingly enter, out of love of neighbor (Hebrews 10:33). And in our suffering together, the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon us (1 Peter 4:14). Broken, we walk in the strength and delight of God, as we bring Him glory in offering grace and mercy to those also broken around us.

That is real power and pleasure. Perhaps Humpty Dumpty had it figured out after all. No earthly power could “fix” him, but that was okay. He was wholly glorifying God in it. And, in faith, he knew “on that day,” all that’s broken will be made new (Revelation 21:5). Yet for now…now, but not yet.