04.06. What Brokenness Does Not Mean

What Brokenness Does Not Mean

Having seen what some of the elements of brokenness are, we should explain briefly what is not meant by the word. It does not mean that the person becomes a Mr. Milquetoast, a bland, spineless sort of jellyfish. It does not mean that he becomes a powerless cipher, exerting little influence on those around him. If anything, the reverse is true. Brokenness is one of the finest elements of a strong character. It doesn’t take any discipline to be unbroken. But what self-control is required to be Christ-like when every natural instinct rebels against it!

Broken people are the ones with the most persuasive characters. They influence quietly by the irresistible force of an other-worldly example. It is a paradox, but there it is: “Thy gentleness hath made me great” (Psalms 18:35, A.V.). And they are capable of anger when occasion demands it. We see this in the life of our Lord. He drove the money changers out of the Temple with a scourge of small cords. But the important thing to see is that His anger flared not because of any wrong that was done to Him personally, but because His Father’s house had been dishonored. As has been said, “He was a lion in God’s cause but a lamb in His own.” Many of the martyrs and reformers were truly broken but one would hardly say that they were weak or uninfluential.