BROKEN THINGS
I'm enjoying reading back issues of the magazine "Signs of the Times. Right now Im in the year 1890. Besides articles, there are news items, which are really interesting and almost every week a poem. So it was that I came across this beautiful verse written by George Bancroft Griffith called, Broken Things.
This life is a continual encounter with broken things. At our house, weve been struggling with a shower valve that wants to emit only hot water. Im sure you can imagine the challenges that brings! Actually, though, another broken thing at times works to off-set it. Our water heater is also not functioning properly. The pilot light doesnt want to stay lit. So I find myself activating the igniter quite often. The trick, of course, is to take your shower when flame in the heater has gone out and now the water is no longer scalding hot.
I had tried to change the cartridge in the shower valve, but without success. It was stuck so fast that I couldnt remove it, and I was afraid that Id do more damage than good if I tried to force it. Fortunately, a good friend of mine volunteered to give me a hand. He has a special tool made specifically for stubborn valve cartridges, and we were able to extract the defective one and install a new one. There are many other broken things around our house, but I wont burden your ears by listing them. It may be that you have a few of them at your place too.
Although usually a source of frustration and anxiety, there is a sense in which certain broken things are to be admired and even desired. It might seem strange that we would seek for something broken, but in the Christian life, that is precisely true. The poem we read lists a few. When Gideons pitcher were broken the victory was won. When their ship was wrecked, the lives of Paul and his comrades were saved by the broken pieces they used as flotation devices. It was when the alabaster box was broken by Mary that perfume filled the room as she bathed the feet of her Lord in gratitude.
The most important thing is to have what the Bible calls a broken spirit, which is another way of saying we should be humble. The Bible says,
Being a Christian means you acknowledge that God is One Who gives life; your very breath He holds in His hand. It means that you confess that He deserves to be worshiped and obeyed, and yet you realize how woefully short of the mark youve come. Being a Christian means you see in the death of Christ, His broken body, Gods Gift of salvation, without which there would be no hope. You realize how undeserving you are of this great gift. This is what it means to have a broken spirit and a contrite heart. This is the attitude manifested by the publican who worshiped and said, God be merciful to me, a (the) sinner. There's no room for pride here! The cross is God's antidote for the poison of pride. What do we have that was not given to us? asks the Apostle Paul.
Allow me to share a paragraph or two written by one of the founding pioneers of our church, Ellen G. White. This also was from an issue of the "Signs of the Times," February 24, 1890. Allow this to speak to your heart.
May God bless us to that end!
Your brother in Christ,
Doc
P.S. I have absolutely no idea why the fonts jumped all around. If anyone can tell me why this happened I would like hear from you.