"Broken" | Reflection by Marsha Ackerman (Vestry Class of 2022)

Not all of my conversations with God are pleasant or filled with gratitude. I am not always thoughtfully praying for the needs of others or even myself. Sometimes, I am reduced to raging at God, begging for some sense of understanding, mourning the depth of sorrow that seeps into my mind when I let down my vigil. I am furious with God for the experience of brokenness. In these moments when I desperately seek answers but do not perceive the voice of God to be near, I try to remember to abide in the words that God has given us.

I ask, “Why, God, have you allowed me to be broken before I even knew what it was to be whole? How can I conceive of your love when my brokenness makes me feel so unlovable? If you allowed me to be broken, how can I trust you? God, I simply do not know if I can go on.”

In the silence I remember….

‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’

Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,

so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9

To be broken is to be separated or fragmented from the whole. But, like stained glass, God solders us anew in beauty. We do not look as before but are a new creation that reveals a new image of God’s light.

Words in the Wilderness - Walk through the season of Lent with Trinity, one word at a time. Every day (except on Sundays) we will post a photo and a brief refection written by someone in our Trinity community. https://www.trinitynewhaven.org/words-in-the-wilderness