To the Woman Who Feels Broken Beyond Repair: experiencing God's redeeming work in our lives

All of us have a story. A past, a present, a future.

​There’s a lot that tries to write our story for us. Shame, suffering, brokenness, seasons of waiting, insecurities, unfulfilled longing, loneliness, hurts, fears, conflict, failures, rejections, poor choices, loss, worries, disappointments. 

We can feel shame about our past. We can have struggles and suffering in the present. We can be scared about our future.

Life can be messy. Our stories can be messy. We can be messy.

And the enemy tries to use the mess to write a story of messy brokenness. He tries to write labels on us, so we’ll live in the broken places, named as Broken Beyond Repair.

Beyond hope.
Beyond grace.
Beyond love.
Beyond joy.
Beyond peace.

Too broken. Too hurt. Too worried. Too long. Too angry. Too alone. Too overwhelmed. Too crushed. Too sad. Too afraid. Too ugly. Too messy.

The enemy points to events in our past, to what we’re experiencing in the present, to the unknowns of the future, and he tells us we’re too something, and that this area is beyond the reach of God’s goodness.

But there is nothing beyond God’s goodness; no sin, no hurt, no pain, no suffering, no fear, no worry, no failure, no conflict, no disappointment, no loss, that He cannot reach and heal and restore. There is nothing that is too something that He cannot redeem.

Redeem means to ransom and atone for, and through ransom and atonement, free from that which harms and release from punishment. 

When the enemy speaks lies that we are beyond reach and too far gone, we need to remember the redeeming work of Jesus:

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:23-24

“In [Jesus] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” Ephesians 1:7

“For [the Father] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Colossians 1:13-14

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” 1 Peter 1:18-19

Because we all have sinned, we are all deserving of punishment. We are captive to sin and suffer harm from the havoc sin wreaks in our lives. But by His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus paid the ransom and made the atonement for our lives. He died the death and suffered the separation from God we deserve so that we could be freed from sin, released from its death grip on us, brought into right relationship with God through repentance and faith in Jesus.

No shame of the past, no struggle or suffering in the present, no scariness and unknown situation of the future is beyond redemption. There is no mess too broken to be redeemed by Jesus when the broken pieces are placed into the hands of the One who was broken for us.

In God’s Word, there are women who encountered Jesus and by Him were redeemed from sin and darkness, transformed from broken messes to beautiful messages of God’s power, love, and goodness.

The Samaritan woman who met Jesus by a well was redeemed from a life of sin, shame, and searching for satisfaction. In Jesus, she found fulfillment and a reason to share her story. (John 4:1-42)

Martha was redeemed from a place of worry and working to find worth, and she experienced Jesus’ teaching, His love, and His resurrection power. (Luke 10:38-42; John 11:1-44)

The sinful woman who anointed Jesus’ feet was redeemed from her sin. She who had been labeled a sinner and outcast was welcomed by Jesus, experiencing His forgiveness and salvation. (Luke 7:36-50) 

The woman who was caught in adultery was redeemed from her sin and the judgement cast, and given grace, forgiveness, and the call to leave her old way of life behind. (John 8:1-11) 

The woman who had bled for twelve years was redeemed from her suffering and uncleanliness. She experienced healing and was given freedom and peace. (Mark 5:21-34)

Mary Magdalene was redeemed from seven demons who tormented her, and then walked in Jesus’ light and presence, bearing the testimony of His resurrection. (Luke 8:1-3; John 20:11-18)

These women’s stories remind us that there is nothing in our own story that God cannot redeem us from, and work good in, and transform into a testimony of His story.

There are things in my own life that can feel too messy and broken, that the enemy would say are beyond God’s ability to work for good, that I need to remember the promise of redemption in:

Seasons of waiting that have been long.
Insecurities that grip tight on my heart.
Uncertainty about the future and what steps to take. 
Working through feelings of anxiety, overwhelm, and depression. 
The ways in which I live selfishly.

Jesus went to the cross for this. His blood was shed for this, and His blood now covers it all. I am washed in redemption, every part of me, every part of my story. I can read my story - the past, the present, the future - through the lens of redemption. I can live my story as one redeemed, transformed from a broken mess to a beautiful message of God’s power, love, goodness.

Are there any areas in your life that you’ve believed to be broken beyond repair? Anything you feel is too something to be restored and redeemed?

God invites each one of us into His story and wants to write His love and goodness all over our stories. He wants to remove the label of Broken Beyond Repair and give us our new, true name: Beloved Daughter.

How can we experience God’s redeeming work in our lives, allowing Him to write His story in our hearts?

Repent
Redemption begins with repenting of our sin, turning from sin and trusting in Jesus as Savior.

Release
Release the hurts, pain, worries, fears, situations, any brokenness, into God’s hands for Him to heal and restore.

Recognize
Recognize God’s Sovereignty in your life and His ability to work good in your life, and be obedient to Him.

Remember
When the enemy whispers lies that you are beyond redemption, remember and remind yourself of the truth of God’s Word: that you are redeemed in Jesus and that God is working good in your life.

Rejoice
Give praise and thanks to God for His redemption. 

The messy brokenness is not our story. The redeeming work of Jesus in the midst of brokenness is.