Putting the Broken Pieces Back Together

And if you offer yourself to the hungry
And satisfy the need of the afflicted,
Then your light will rise in darkness,
And your gloom will become like midday.

And the Lord will continually guide you,
And satisfy your desire in scorched places,
And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.

Isaiah 58:10-11

We were made to serve. It’s easy to fall into the lies that say we are made to be successful; to get married; to be parents; to get a degree; to be happy; to look perfect; and to constantly busy ourselves straight into burnout in the name of productivity. But what about when even just one of those things listed doesn’t pan out according to the culture’s clock? Or ever? What happens when the unexpected happenings of life interrupt the well-worn route so many have taken before us?

We’ve all been in hallow places of unexpected loss and heartbreak. Heck, even the twenty-four hours we have each day can hit us like a curveball, making us feel like we’ve struck out in the “game” of life yet again.

The context of Isaiah 58 revolves around the shallow and disingenuous living of the Israelites who only appear to follow God’s ways. After the Israelites cry out to God in frustration, thinking He owes them something because they were checking off all the religious boxes, He responds with a sobering wake-up call we all would do well to lean into:

“Behold, you fast for contention and strife, and to strike with a wicked fist.
You do not fast like you have done today to make your voice heard on high! Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke?”

Isaiah 58:4&6

The word yoke in this verse comes from the idea of a yoke bar laid across two oxen carrying heavy loads (see picture below). God is saying here, I want to make your load lighter! Stop carrying the weight of religious obligation and selfish spiritual endeavors and start pursuing an intimate relationship with me where serving is the natural outflow of abiding in me.

We’ve all met people who say they’re Christians while their lives look nothing like it. Or those who put on a spiritual mask while underneath their true selves are shaming and condemning the very ones Jesus came to save and set free. I have been this person at times throughout my life, coming up empty, burnt out, and guilty.

What we need in these moments is for “Light to rise in darkeness” and for “gloom to become like midday” (58:10). We want and were created to be like a “well-watered garden,” reaching out for someone or something to “satisfy [our] desire in scorched places” (58:11). But the question is, who or what are we reaching out to?

The answer to this question is pivotal. Some may say good and helpful things such as therapy, friends, family, exercising, prayer, or reading the Bible. Others turn to more negative options like alcohol, drugs, sex, binge watching Netflix (guilty!), or unhealthy eating habits. However, there’s an option not many people, let alone Christians, turn to first: Serving.

It’s truly amazing what God can do when we choose to give up our comfort to love someone else. Me and my mom volunteer for an organization called Rahab Ministries whose main mission is to be a safe haven for women who are involved in prostitution, victims of human trafficking, or homeless and in need of food to eat and a place to take a shower or take a nap. The first time we went to help I was extremely nervous and uncertain. But those feelings quickly turned into tangible tears at seeing these women, who have every reason to give up and sulk in brokenness, embrace the love and hope of Jesus. The perspective I have of my own trials or hard days grow extremely dim in the light of all the darkness these precious women are overcoming. Witnessing their heartfelt praises to their King and claiming their status as His beloved daughters fills my heart and soul like nothing else.

I don’t tell you this to pat myself on the back or guilt you into volunteering somewhere. The point is we are missing out on Heavenly experiences and healing in our hearts by staying put. By staying stuck. By never venturing into scenarios that may make us feel a bit uncomfortable. This is not only to our detriment but a huge loss for the Kingdom of God.

“And if you offer yourself to the hungry
And satisfy the need of the afflicted,
Then your light will rise in darkness,
And your gloom will become like midday.”

Isaiah 58:10

When we simply reach out and love in small ways, the greatest impact results. Light rises in the darkness. Our darkness. Their darkness. Serving cheers a broken heart. Serving fills someone with hope. Serving reminds someone they are never alone. Serving speaks a kind word. Serving makes a meal for a struggling family. Serving leaves an encouraging note on their car windshield. Serving loves the unlovely time and time again. Serving steps outside what is comfortable. Serving embraces differences. Serving dies to self every day. Serving points it all back to Him.

Serving is not easy or natural. But it is necessary. It is beneficial to our health, our relationships, and leaves the aroma of Jesus wherever we step foot and creates a launching pad into God’s best for our lives where the Devil wants us to crash and burn.

In Matthew 25, Jesus echoes the same truths of Isaiah 58 when He talks about the last days when He will separate those who genuinely followed Him from those who didn’t:

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you give me something to drink; I was a stranger and you invited me in; naked, and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me…truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even the least of them, you did it to me.

Mathew 25:35-40

You did it to me. When we let the love given to us flow through us, we not only help change the outlook of someone’s life, but we do it for Jesus Himself. And that is a mission we can and should all get behind.

Laying it all down for the One who freely laid down His life for us, His beloved.

I don’t know what hard thing you’re going through and healing from, but I do know this: Giving parts of ourselves away for someone else can be the difference between letting the pain take us out or letting the brilliance of the Gospel come in and transform our most broken places.

I don’t do this perfectly – none of us ever will – but with each act of serving done in love, another broken piece of our hearts gets put back together. Another life changed. Another soul filled. Another piece of the kingdom coming down to Earth.

So, let’s open our hands and let the Light in.

-Dee

“And maybe your hand has to reach out so your heart keeps beating – so someone else keeps breathing. Maybe this can be a way to keep breaking the bread and reaching out to pass it down, right through brokenness.”

Ann Voskamp