Brokenness

Here is a poignant reminder of our need to be Christ-like in all we do. I have underlined the key part, and have included the rest as context. It is taken from "Liberating the Laity" by Paul Stevens. Page 158.

Brokenness, then, is not simply recognizing our psychological or spiritual weakness and allowing ourselves to be vulnerable. Brokenness is not simply keeping short accounts with our brothers and sisters, repenting, confessing and walking in the light. Brokenness is what must happen if we are ever to be unconditionally committed to the church as it is.

F. Kefa Sempangi, who was formed spiritually during the Ugandan revival, put the matter incisively:

Hardly any of us can go to his own Christian community and say “This is my body which is broken for you. I am laying all my professional skills, abilities, and economic resources at your disposal. Take them and use them as you see fit.” We cannot say this because we are not broken. We are too proud to give our lives away to people who are not perfect. We don’t want to lose ourselves for sinners. We want to find the perfect person and the perfect community, but we never find them. So, like Judas, we make only a partial commitment to the body of believers to which we belong, and we find our identity in our rebellion from them.