There’s an age old saying that goes: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. For the most part, I agree with this saying. There’s nothing wrong with letting things stay at the status quo, as long as you’re good not seeing change.
However, for those that want to improve themselves, they know things need to change. And sometimes you need to break yourself to improve yourself.
Image by Ian Sane
Writing those words were hard for me. I know breaking myself is not something that I find pleasurable. I’m sure you’re feeling the same way.
Whether it’s from feeling that you’re okay as you are or the discomfort change can bring, we so very often don’t want to change. We don’t want to struggle with the next step. And we don’t want the pain change can bring.
Life has been stretching me and breaking me more than I care to admit lately. Honestly, I feel damaged, crushed, destroyed.
This has come from being broken.
What Brokenness Brings
As you’re being broken, you’ll feel waves of emotions. Anger will rush over you. Grief and doubt will cloud your mind. You’ll wrestle with decisions you’ve made and the consequences you have to live out.
You’ll feel the negative impact from brokenness. No doubt brokenness brings pain.
And yet there’s some glimmer of hope in the brokenness.
There’s something about taking a plow and breaking new ground. It gives you energy.
— Ken Kesey
Like the breaking of ground, being broken stirs up greatness within us. The breaking of our minds and spirits can bring a new growth.
Whenever I’m broken, I like to think about farming. Yes, you heard me right, farming.
In the above quote, Ken talked about breaking ground with a plow. This breaking of the ground is called Tilling.
There’s a reason the ground needs to be broken and tilled.
Tilling loosens the soil. Tilling makes it easier to plant seeds. Tilling can destroy weeds.
There’s a benefit in being broken, just like the farmer tilling the soil.
In our brokenness:
We’re able to loose ourselves of the weeds of our lives. These weeds may be negative relationships, bad habits, or troubling thoughts. Allow yourself to break free from these harmful things in your life.
We can plant new habits (seeds) into our lives: When we’re broken, we’re more open to new ideas and different lifestyles. Don’t use this time of brokenness to go off the deep end. Instead, use it to push you towards new habits that will improve your life.
Maybe it’s exercising or eating healthy or creating a better work-life balance. You’re broken now, you’ve got the chance to plant better habits into your life. Don’t miss the opportunity.
Brokenness is rough. We’re hurt through the process. But, if we’re smart about it, we’re not finished. We’re just beginning a new journey towards improvement.
Choose today to allow yourself to grow through the breakage.
Question: How have you grown through being broken? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.