I Am Here

I Am Here

By Shayna Garrison, Class of 2013

Fairview, North Carolina

Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls,

it will grind him to powder! Luke 20:18

            We  often think of brokenness as a condition we are left in after the world has had its way with us -- that we come to God broken, asking Him to put us back together. When we allow the world to break us, we come to God with a pile of pieces crumbled by human hands, asking the Master to reform them.  But if we allow God to break us, the pieces are formed by His hands, and He will reconstruct us in a pattern designed from the ground up.

            What does it mean to be truly broken? Why do we need to be broken at all? We are going to fall at some time or another. The question is when we fall, are we going to be on or under the stone? When we fall, do we want the Lord to be able to pick us up again, or will we be completely destroyed? When we fall, are we falling to our knees in reverence and worship, or are we falling from heights reached with our own avarice?

            Everyone will fall one day. Those who fall in humility will be broken on the stone and transformed into a man of honor. Those who erect themselves and reject the life of righteousness, their kingdoms will fall and become dust.

            Brokenness is being on the ground in front of the Lord--even when it starts getting a little uncomfortable. Being broken is having the heart of a sinner, looking toward heaven, and crying out, “I’m here!”  God says in Isaiah 1:18 “…though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (NKJV). Praising God is not about being perfect. He asks us to come to Him as we are, so that He can restore us to all that we are worth. I throw a challenge to all who choose to accept. Give God a chance to repair, restore, and replenish you.