Lately I am increasingly aware of the brokenness of the world around me:  broken lives, broken marriages, broken bodies, broken stuff, broken homes.  As we prepare to leave for CCC, we'll definitely encounter physical brokenness.

I recently read that while previous generations of people had a label they could receive that "fit" their time and age (baby boomers, Enlightenment, stone age, etc), this current generation's label is different.  We are a "placeless" people.  All of us are connected and intertwined, with so much to do but nowhere to go.  Our minds buzzing with overstimulation and hours of "screen time" per day.  We have the ability to access more information than any people in history, and we have yet to find our place.  Consumed with technology and media, we miss our deep brokenness.

I see this "placelessness" as a result of brokenness.  While productivity and involvement can be good, for many we are only spinning our wheels and not getting anywhere.  We fill our days with increasing levels of activity, but to what end?

The world we live in seems to be one of paradox: many things seem broken, and yet there are such amazing possibilities for the discovery of love, laughter, beauty, nature, creativity, community, and justice.

One can choose to only look at the brokenness, or only look at the blessings.  OR you can do what Jesus did: he embraced them both.

He says as much in Mark 2:16-18 -

¹⁶ But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees^[a] saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?^[b]”

¹⁷ When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.”

Those who realize they are broken can find healing.  True, lasting healing.  And those who ignore their brokeness will not find healing. The Pharisees didn't realize they were just as broken as the tax collector, but they were blinded by their arrogance.  What a horrible place to be!  To assume you are righteous while in fact you are wicked, to assume you are holy but are actually broken.   Not much can keep me awake at night, but this possible reality certainly has before.

As I always say, "none of us are cool".  When you realize how uncool you are, that makes you cool.  When you realize how broken you are, you find healing.  My dear friend Robbi Fischer always would say "You're worse than you think you are".  This statement isn't to put a person down, but to help them realize their PLACE.  The humble person God will receive, but the proud man God will turn away. Those who admit their dependance on God, God will lift them up and give them honor.

What if we claimed this generation, changing it from a "placeless" generation to a generation that has a place?  A generation of wounded healers seeking to help those in need of healing, sharing our brokenesswith others in their brokenness.  If you do this, you will begin to feel an emotion known as "love".  Not sensual/overplayed/disgusting/selfish "love" as the world gives, but love as Christ gives: unconditional, sacrificial, humble, servant-hearted.

May God have mercy on us all, as none of us are better than anyone else, and we all stand in need of healing.

Amen