Brokenness? I CAN Live Up to That/ Speaking Thru Me Spotlight

Over the next few months, the Internet Cafe Devotionals will feature a few guest devotionals from the ladies at Speaking Thru Me ministries. This unique ministry seeks to provide churches and groups with a professional speaker who feels called into ministry and are willing to be "sent" to share the good news of Christ. The ministry reaches out to churches of any size and offers a FEE FREE speaker service. For information on Speaking Thru Me, visit their site here. Several of our own Internet Cafe Team Writers are involved with Speaking Thru Me.

Today we are thrilled to introduce one of the women involved in Speaking Thru Me,
Karen Hossink

Have you ever read Mark 6:30-44?

That's the story of the time Jesus fed five thousand men (plus all the women and kids!!!) with five loaves of bread and two fish.

The disciples and Jesus were on a hillside with a large crowd. Rather than sending the people away to find their own food, Jesus told the disciples, "You give them something to eat." Though they protested, Jesus simply told the disciples to go and see how much bread they could find. So they did. They came back to Him with five loaves of bread, and two fish – just in case the five loaves weren't enough!

As the story goes, everyone ate and was satisfied. But how? How did Jesus make that offering enough?

Clearly, the bread (as it was when the disciples gave it to Jesus) was not enough to feed the hungry crowd. There is no way 1,000+ people were going to gather around one of those five loaves of bread and all eat of it. Not gonna happen! So how did it work? Was it some kind of magical bread?

No. Jesus had to do something to it first. He took the bread and after giving thanks, He broke it. And somehow, in the breaking of the bread, the power of God came in and made it enough. Every person seated on that hillside ate and was satisfied, and there were twelve baskets full of left over pieces. Is that not amazing???

The thing that really spoke to me when I was studying this passage was Jesus' ability to take something which didn't seem to be anywhere near adequate, and make it enough.
And I realized that is exactly what He does with me.
Jesus takes me into His hands, breaks me, and makes me enough.
Enough of a mother.
Enough of a wife.
Enough of a friend.
Enough of a sister.
Enough of a daughter.
Enough.
Do you know what happens when I come am confronted with my brokenness? I come face-to-face with the reality that I, on my own, am not enough. I am not strong enough, wise enough, experienced enough, charming enough, or capable enough. I cannot do any of this life on my own.
In the face of my brokenness I recognize my imperfection and my complete desperation for God. I am reminded of the Truth that I can do nothing without Him. But with Him, and by His grace alone, I can do anything.

As I admit my need and relinquish myself to God's power through my brokenness, He makes me enough. And, I have found brokenness is such a good place to be because when I am there, I am in His hands.

Sure, I would love to be perfect, to have it all "together," to be confident that I am enough. However, I know perfection is not going to happen this side of heaven. But brokenness? I can live up to that!

In Him,

Karen

Karen Hossink is a wife, mother, speaker and author. She and her husband, Brian, have three children: Elizabeth, Joshua and Matthew, and they make their home in Okemos, Michigan. Karen's book, Confessions of an Irritable Mother, offers the hope that God uses the hard times in our lives to make us more like Jesus. Karen is a speaker for Speaking Thru Me Ministries, a fee-free event resource for churches. You can find more information about Karen at:

www.speakingthrume.com

www.surviving-motherhood.blogspot.com