Must be broken to grow

John 12:24 (ESV)

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

Have you ever noticed in nature that there is beauty in brokenness?

One kernel of wheat (or any seed for that matter!), is worthless unless it gets buried in the dirt and dies. Once it does, it starts to grow to majestic proportions, producing the beautiful flowers and fruit we delight in.

A cow passes waste up to twelve times in any given day. A yard would sure not look too attractive after a week's worth of that kind of work! But we don't have to worry, for rainworms and numerous other tiny organisms come to the rescue, breaking down this smelly stuff. Although we may pinch our nose to such a smelly thought, farmers and gardeners alike use this by-product of cows to keep their farmland and gardens healthy! It is the best kind of fertilizer on earth!

Some don't like the rain, but if it were never to fall, there would be no plant life. Before a house can be built, we need to cut down trees and turn them into much needed lumber. And the list of examples could go on and on.

The same principle is promoted throughout the Word of God.

When Gideon was fighting the Medianites, God used broken pitchers to lead them to victory. Jesus fed the 5000s after he broke the bread and fish. Jesus' head was anointed with a very special perfume by Mary, after she broke her jar containing this special elixir. "Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. (Ps 30:5)

And more importantly we need to die before we can truly live, as symbolized in baptism: Rom 6:3-7 "Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-because anyone who has died has been freed from sin."

There truly can be no making without breaking. Revival cannot be experienced until we experience complete brokenness. "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor 12:9)

Dear Lord, help us come before You with broken hearts so that You can make us into something great. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.