Why Remembering Your Brokenness Leads to Wholeness

We live in a world that’s splitting apart, but Christ offers a path to wholeness. In the middle of our brokenness and spiritual isolation, Jesus came. He made a way back to God by dying on the cross. By remembering our origin story — how we were once separated from God — we can find true connection through Him.

Why Do I Feel Alone In A Hyper-Connected World?

It was 2009. I posted my very first picture on Facebook. My daughter and I smiled for the camera, her tiny face wondering what strange thing we were doing. Back then, I was excited about this new thing called “social media.” Friends from my hometown, college, and around the world met in one place. We shared. We interacted. We felt so connected. 

At some point — I can’t say when — my communication became a computer function. Algorithms determined our distance. This new way of socializing had disconnected me from the real world. Then Covid came along, and separation became a way of life. Real masks replaced the fake ones we wore to cover the pain we lived in. Gloves kept germs away, but removed the touch of humanity we were struggling to hold on to. Video calls replaced face-to-face interaction, and we slowly became used to the world within our four walls. 

Years later and the distance still spans between us. The vitriol of social media pushes us further apart. Negative news feeds enable us to build walls, close doors, and shield ourselves from the pain of the world. 

But, as much as we try to protect ourselves from the hurt of living, it seems to seep in through the cracks of our lives. We become fractured, separated, and hopeless. Families split. Relationships severed. People broken. Masking our pain behind the perfection of a curated picture.  

Yet, the isolation I felt from constant scrolling was only part of the story. 

There was a disconnect in my soul.

There is Power in Remembering Our Origin Story.

The fledgling New Testament church experienced brokenness too. She was just beginning to stretch her wings, but division between the Jewish believers and the Gentile converts threatened to rip apart what God was building. Paul entreated them to remember. “Remember that you were…separated from Christ, alienated…strangers…having no hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12 ESV). Regardless of nationality, economic position, or social status, all were hopelessly separated from God by the chasm of sin. 

Jews and Gentiles alike shared the same beginning. Their origin story was rooted in their weakness. Each one began life as a helpless babe in a cruel and hurtful world. Each one searching for a way to feel whole, to feel accepted, and to escape the pain of sin. 

“We all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind…” (Ephesians 2:3).

Like those early believers, I am desperate for connection. Searching for wholeness. There is within me a deep desire to be a part of something significant…to find acceptance. But, without God, I would remain alienated. A stranger in a strange world being ripped apart at the seams. Standing up for my own cause, drawing a line, and choosing my side. Hostile. Angry. Fist in the air. 

This is my origin story. 

I was born an enemy of God. Dead. Empty. Useless. Separated. Alone.

But there is power in remembering where we come from. 

Remembering is an active, deliberate recall of past experiences, knowledge, and beliefs that cause transformation in how we understand our present actions or condition. Remembering can be painful. But it is necessary in order to continue the process of the forward momentum of change. When I remember where I’ve come from, remember my origin story of sin and separation, I understand the beginning is not the end. 

Being Broken is a Part of the Process.

In the middle of my brokenness and spiritual isolation, Jesus came. He made the sacrifice that opened the door for restoration. He made a way back to God by dying on the cross. Then, he brought me near. The action of coming back to God initiated by the Savior himself.

“Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13). 

The wall of division and hostility is broken down. Peace reigns supreme in my heart when Jesus is master of my life. I am no longer a stranger, but Jesus calls me a friend. He promises never to leave me again, and I know I am safe.

Yet, in order for me to become new, the old has to be broken and torn down. 

Breaking is part of the process of building. 

Christ’s body was broken so I could be whole. It is in the breaking of the bread that I am joined with Christ and remember (Luke 22:19-20) . There are things in my own soul that need to be broken. Sin torn down. Negative thinking patterns replaced. 

God takes the broken pieces of my life and builds something new. A dwelling place for himself in the ruin of my life. He starts the process with one stone. The cornerstone of Christ. He creates a new life out of what was once dead and useless (2 Corinthians 5:17). But, there are greater implications. Deeper connections that have to be made. Christ doesn’t just repair my relationship with God. He builds new roads for healthy relationships with others. 

In Ephesians 2:14-16, Paul uses words that describe the church as built up and built together from different materials and people. Instead of fake connections built on staged pictures and well-timed likes, the church becomes the anti-social media. A place of true connection, healing worship, and eternal impact. The church is a beautiful mosaic of people — the body of Christ — fitted together to become the dwelling place of God. 

While the world splits apart, we who have been brought near to Him can be brought near to each other. “So now you…are no longer strangers and foreigners…you are members of God’s family” (Ephesians 2:19). The whole structure, brick by brick, joined together, becomes one body. One family. 

Christ breaks down our walls. And when we remember how far we’ve come — separated from God, but brought near through Jesus — we can experience true wholeness and connection.

COMING SOON…

Seen. Known. Loved.

Seven Encounters with Jesus 

A 7-Day devotion in preparation for Easter.