what gets broken

having a heart means that it will break. and its really no wonder, because we come into this world broken, and the life that follows is a constant struggle to mend...to fill the cracks with anything (sometimes everything) that will prevent us from breaking again. but it happens. bones break, hearts break, we break. over and over again.

when a bone in our body breaks, this amazing thing happens. if the bone is set correctly and given the time and limited space to heal, it forms this sort of 'callus' - an excess of bone tissue that grows in the exact spot that was broken. if you've ever broken a bone, you can rub your finger over that tender place and feel a lump. the lump feels weird, like something's wrong, like it doesn't belong there. but this lump is the callus, and it means that in the exact place of brokenness, the bone is stronger than it ever was before. it will never break again in that exact same place. but the build-up of this tissue, this callus, takes time and limited space.

limited space is the splint. it's creating limits within which to move, and bounds to immobilize what's been hurt. and time is patience and endurance... it's believing in the things i have not yet seen, like redemption and forgiveness. because if i try to run on this broken bone now, it will never heal. it will stay broken and i will limp forever.

give me the time and limited space to splint this, to reset this, to rest this...because i need to hope in what i have not yet seen. i need this redemption and forgiveness. i need to believe that You will form this callus in me.