Brokenness: Our Worth In Christ

The reality of our brokenness can quickly become a point of overwhelming discouragement. If we are not careful, we approach our failures as a mere means to gauge our own self-worth and allow it to dictate our identity.  We become weighed down, overrun, weary and defeated. Our keen awareness of our own shortcomings gives way to excessive amounts of self-evaluation leading us down a pathway of appeasing our own insecurities.

Why?

We buy into the misunderstanding that our ability to overcome these weaknesses determines our worth. Consequentially, we draft out numerous goals for improvement that are either impossible or unnecessary to achieve and organize them against our own standard of perfection in hopes that one day we achieve just that. And, when we do, we’ll be able to recognize our value and accept ourselves.

But the groundbreaking, awesome truth of the gospel does not call us to accept ourselves – but Christ.

The gospel does not call us to accept ourselves – but Christ.

The gospel calls us to accept Christ’s forgiveness because Christ has already accepted us through His perfect victory on the cross. We direct our love towards Him because He has chosen to love us first. We are to accept His achievements on our behalf and recognize our worth as rooted and grounded in Christ alone.

To accept our identity in Christ does not mean we ignore our brokenness or gloss over our failures. It is the acknowledgement that through Christ’s forgiveness we are equipped and empowered to war against our weaknesses head on as we walk in the Spirit. 

It is the proclamation of victory demonstrated in Christ’s continual work in us. We are not alone.

The reality of Christ’s forgiveness frees us to rest.  We no longer need to labor to achieve our own sense of righteousness nor do we tie our identity to our own ability to self-perfect. Instead, we claim our identity in Christ and find rest in His love for us.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy
and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30