Blessed to be Broken

The other day while I was driving, I decided to change the radio station. So many stations, yet nothing I wanted to hear. I miss having a CD player in my car. I know I can make playlists but, it’s not the same. Fellow CD lovers will totally understand.

Suddenly, and without any type of warning my stereo blasted at full volume. To say I was startled is an understatement. My volume taps out at level 38. It’s loud!

Scrambling, I attempted to turn it down. When the number display went from level 38 to 0, I could no longer hear the obnoxiousness blaring through the speakers. Whew.

I attempted to turn the volume back up, but as soon as it hit level 1, the sound blared at level 38 again. Ugh! I put the volume back at 0, turned the system off, and let it sit a few minutes. Surely this will correct the problem.

Nope, it did not! So then I had the bright idea of plugging my phone in and attempting to control the volume through my phone. You can mock me if you’d like, but, hey, you don’t know until you try.

Needless to say, it didn’t work. It was either turn the system off, or pretend I’m in my 20s and let it blast at level 38. Hindsight being what it is, I opted to turn it off.

The system for whatever reason was stuck. My only hope was that it’d reset itself after I turned the car off and let it sit until the next time I drove it.

Thankfully, that worked. And I’m happy to report, it hasn’t happened again.

I love how things happen and you get a lesson in return.

My radio volume was stuck. No clue why. I’m not a mechanic. So, I did the next best thing and googled the issue. Google knows everything, right? Totally rhetorical.

Either way, it provided the insight, I wasn’t alone with this crazy radio issue. Also, almost everyone else who had the issue, had it resolved by shutting the car down, and letting it sit for a while. I guess it needed a reset.

Hmmm. Sounds like something that happens within our own humanness, doesn’t it?

We have an issue. Yet, we think we’re the only one having the issue. So we try to resolve it on our own by attempting the things that maybe worked in the past, or we think will work now. And then they don’t.

Maybe we try googling the issue. Google seems to have the right answer. We even find that we’re actually not alone and others have experienced the same thing. Someone may have even written a book about the issue we’re having.

Relief starts to replace the anxiety of not knowing. An answer has been found and we have a path forward.

At the time I didn’t know the answer I found on google would actually work. I needed to go back into my car, start it up, and turn the stereo system back on. I braced myself for the impact of level 38 blaring, but was greeted with level 1 through 38, accordingly.

It only took one time for my stereo to malfunction to teach me that I needed to brace myself for what might happen again if it was still malfunctioning. My body tensed up, my mind mentally prepared for obnoxious blaring, and then relief washed over me that it was working as intended.

That’s how quick something can happen in our lives and leave a mark. Imagine if that something happens over and over. What do you think our bodies do?

Over time, the body will begin to malfunction. It learns to hold onto the stress as it prepares it for the unknown. Fear comes alongside it and speaks all manner of things into the brain.

Before we know what’s happened, we get stuck at level 38 with no idea how to get it back to a more manageable level.

We have so much information at our fingertips we can easily become overwhelmed with where to start. Everyone seems to have an opinion and trust me when I say, not all of them have your best interest at heart.

It takes discernment and wisdom to know how to decipher the wolves from the sheep.

All is not lost though. There is a trustworthy place to go. You can find that safe place of refuge in the arms of Jesus.

I don’t say that lightly. I say that because I lived the majority of my life among the wolves. I was part of their pack. Other times, I was the leader. All of those times led me down a path of destruction.

It wasn’t until the life I lived for years at level 38 came crashing down, that I surrendered. Something had to change.

Unfortunately, no one and no earthly thing could do this for me. I had to take the necessary steps to turn the noise down and get quiet. By the way, this is a daily thing. Sometimes multiple times.

Let’s see why Jesus is that safe place. Well, first off, He’s not gonna ask you to earn His love. You already have it. Oh, and it’s free to you, but came at a great cost to Himself.

He’s not about self-help. He’s about an “us” help. His name literally contains “us” in it. You + Jesus means, you’re not alone.

Ok, I think you’re starting to get the picture on why He’s trustworthy. Did you know He has a personal invitation for you? It’s found in Matthew 11:28-30:

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (ESV)

See. He wants to take your burdens from you. He knows how heavy and disrupting they can be. He knows we weren’t built to live at level 38 continuously. He knows we need a safe place to land.

You have a part in this invitation though. It means you’ll need to spend some time with Him. Isn’t that how we get to know anyone? We spend time with them. Just remember, “anyone” can’t claim to be your Creator, Savior, and Refuge, and tell you things that only He knows.

I could go on and on about why Jesus is the absolute best, but until you experience Him for yourself, it won’t mean much.

If you’ve stuck with me so far, I’ll just ask you to review your life up till now without Him. How’s that going for you? Be honest. I mean, you can fool yourself, but God still sees it all.

Yep, that’s right..ALL of it. And yet, can I let you in on a little secret? I still try to hide things from Him. Still, they can only stay “hidden for so long before they start causing turmoil in my life.

Friend, I can tell you, once you experience the peace and freedom a life with Jesus has to offer, you’ll be hard pressed to want it any other way. Of course, it’s your choice.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, free will is a gift from, yep, you guessed it, the same One who invites you to lay ALL your burdens on Him. Jesus!

Talk about some love. Ok, I’ve rambled on long enough. Thanks for sticking with me this far. I pray you have an amazingly blessed day.