What Broken People Need

Broken_glass[1]

Do you know anyone who is broken? Hurting? Crying out for help? Living in pain? Suffering? Bet you do. It may be your spouse, your child, your neighbor, or a  friend. Everyone we meet—at work, in church, at the grocery store—suffers from brokenness.

Here are three actions every broken person needs.

  1. Be a friend.

When faltering saints need love, acceptance, encouragement, and help the most, all too often, they are shunned. This should not be. During these times, broken people truly need the support and affirmation of a friend.

A friend refreshes. The word refreshed means to give intermission from labor or to give rest. It most commonly denotes the refreshment of the inner person.

A friend comes alongside the hurting individual to offer support and encouragement. They help the struggler by assisting with the burden and comforting the pain. They bring refreshment to the broken person like an ice-cold glass of water on a scorching hot day. They remind the wounded of hope in God.

2. Be a forgiver.

A forgiver releases the sin of the offender. In other words, they let it go; they don’t keep a record of wrong; they don’t harbor grudges; they forget the mistake; and they allow the other person to get on with life. Forgiveness means to cancel a debt in order to provide an opportunity for repentance and reconciliation of a broken relationship.

Being a friend sustains the hurting one in the present, being a forgiver wipes the slate clean of the past.

3. Be a brother.

A brother restores the future of the fallen. In the New Testament the word restore was used to describe the mending of fisherman’s nets in order to be used the next day. It is the idea of putting people back into workable and useful shape. It reminds people how valuable they are to God and to society.

Broken people are all around us. Look for them Then, be a friend, a forgiver, and a brother or sister to them.

 

About Rick Ezell

I am a husband, father, pastor, and writer. This blog is about shaping character, transforming church, and impacting culture. I believe that if one defines their moments then their moments will determine their character and their character will influence their world. I write on personal development, church leadership, and our changing culture. I also write about the resources I am developing and the books I am writing. My goal is to create challenging, relevant, and inspiring content that will help you be a better person, the church be a better parish, and the world a better place. If you are interested in those things, this blog is for you. I have served the church my entire career as a student minister and senior pastor. I studied at Samford University, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary (eventually I will get it). I have written eight books. My most recent ones are Chapter 13: The Excellence of Love and Soul Therapy: The Healing Words of Psalm 23. Both are available as eBooks. I have written over 1000 articles for various local, regional, and national publications. I have been married to Cindy for thirty-three years. We have one wonderful daughter. We live in Greenville, SC. In my free time, I enjoy writing, reading, running, tennis, and golf. You can contact me via email or follow me on Twitter or Facebook. This is my personal blog. The opinions I express here do not necessarily represent those of my employer. The information I provide is on an as-is basis. I make no representations as to accuracy, completeness, correctness, suitability, or validity of any information on this blog and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its use.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply