The Seed, Broken For You and For Me
Once upon a time, the sun came up on a fresh, new world. The air was crisp and clear; dew covered the ground, and we were eager to begin the day. Our fellowship was sweet as we worked, and we were anxious to end the day walking through a luscious garden, spending quality time with the Creator of it all. But then, entering as though he owned the place, Deceit crept in, and we believed him. It took only a bite of sin before our world was broken. Suddenly the exquisite communion we had forsaken was lost. Curse upon curse we had to learn to live with. The thorns and briars tried to choke our very lives.
But, we were not left without hope. Indeed, we were given a promise. God was not going to leave us alone. We can read in Genesis 3:15 that God was going to send a Seed so that we might have a renewed relationship with Him and eternal life. But just as a seed must die and be buried in order to bring fruition, this Seed would be broken for us, and, from this brokenness, there would abundance.
I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
John 10:10b
It was 2011. We were visiting a dear friend who was dying from cancer. His son Kyle, a pastor, told us of a blog that he had started reading called "A Holy Experience" written by Ann Voskamp. He told us that her words were authentic and real, spoken from truth, seasoned with a message of grace. On his advice, I opened her page and began to read. By 2012, I had read her book One Thousand Gifts, and I was on my own journey of gratitude. Her perspective helped me to see beauty and gifts in life around me. Her focus stayed on Her Savior, the One worthy of never-ending praise and thankfulness. Her words were a sweet and soothing balm, and I remain affected by the message of this book.
I've read that many people have been changed by Ann's words and have wished for a "sequel" of sorts to that book.
The Broken Way is that book.
This book has a message that many have been waiting for. My eyes have been opened again.
Broken. Fear. Suffering. These are words that Ann Voskamp is not afraid of, afraid to use, or even afraid to be. But, close on the heels of these words are other words that she uses liberally...grace, compassion, redemption. Jesus Himself was a Seed, His body broken and His blood poured out for you and for me.
In the beginning of this book, she speaks of our being broken and how we can be “poured” out so that we are in fact “filled”. She reminds us our time here is limited and that we do not want to waste a moment. She speaks of the Esther Generation~here at this time, for a purpose, "not to make an impression but a difference.” She inspires with examples of how we can “be the gift” to the world around us. Comparable to the calendar she gave us with One Thousand Gifts (finding 3 things every day to be thankful for), she gives us a “Broken Way” calendar of things that we can do for others. Though she does not preach a message of repentance, she does remind us of our need for Jesus, of being His hands in this broken world, and of His unlimited grace. She urges us to be aware of our own brokenness and that we need not be afraid of broken things.
She also gives us more glimpses into her own life, her world that includes pain and even death. She is moving us and pulling everything together. We have been encouraged, reminded that we are cracked and broken, but also persuaded that in this brokenness, we can be brave. Jesus is the only one who can not only fill in all the cracks, but He covers us, smooths us, refines us, gives us more, and considers that we are enough when we are in Him. He is the One making us whole.
Always pointing to Jesus as the giver of life and of "all things new", Ann Voskamp encourages us to weave together the fractured pieces of our hearts into the fabric of our daily communion with others. As Jesus reminded that the Samaritan risked all to help the injured Jewish traveler, we must be willing to do the same for the world around us. We must live broken and poured out as Jesus Himself was.
There are moments in this book that you will feel the lump rising in your throat as hot tears spill over; you will feel relief and freedom flooding your soul, and you will know that you are not alone. I was not ready for this book to end and so it makes me want to “continue the conversation” by living my life in loving acceptance of brokenness.