God loves broken things. Some time ago, in an act of carelessness, I broke a pie plate. This pie plate was passed down to my wife from her grandmother. The look of sadness on my wife’s face broke my heart. And as I collected the broken piece, I saw that the break was clean and believed I could “fix” it. Unfortunately, I have not yet found a glue that will both stand up to the heat of baking and be safe to be in contact with food. So, on a shelf in my office, this broken pie plate sits. It is poor in spirit and unable to fulfill the measure of its creation. And it is waiting for the day when it can be repaired. Nevertheless, God loves broken things.
Who come unto me
Do we feel broken and unable to fulfill the measure of our creation? Of course! We cannot fulfill the measure of our creation on our own! Doubt not, fear not, for God loves a broken heart and a contrite spirit. In 3 Nephi chapter 12 verse 3, it says: “Blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The extra action step in this verse adds new insight into the Savior’s teaching from the Sermon on the Mount.
In April 2006, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught “It seems clear that the essence of our duty and the fundamental requirement of our mortal life is captured in these brief phrases from any number of scenes in the Savior’s mortal ministry. He is saying to us, “Trust me, learn of me, do what I do. Then, when you walk where I am going,” He says, “we can talk about where you are going, and the problems you face and the troubles you have. If you will follow me, I will lead you out of darkness,” He promises. “I will give you answers to your prayers. I will give you rest to your souls.”
God fixes broken things
There are times when we are “poor in spirit” and may feel our lives are broken. Broken by unkept promises, broken by disease or addiction, or broken by accident or tragedy. Perhaps we are broken by the loss of a job or the death of a loved one. Sometimes broken things are difficult to mend. But as Vance Havner once wrote: “God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, and broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. And, it is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever.” God fixes broken things.
The Carpenter
“In Nazareth, the narrow road, that tires the feet and steals the breath, passes the place where once abode The Carpenter of Nazareth. And up and down the dusty way the village folk would often wend; And on the bench, beside Him, lay their broken things for Him to mend.
“The maiden with the doll she broke. The woman with the broken chair. The man with broken plow, or yoke, said, “Can you mend it, Carpenter?” And each received the thing he sought. In yoke, or plough, or chair, or doll; the broken thing which each had brought returned again a perfect whole.
“So, up the hill the long years through, with heavy step and wistful eye, the burdened souls their way pursue, uttering each the plaintive cry: “O Carpenter of Nazareth, this heart, that’s broken past repair, this life, that’s shattered nigh to death, Oh, can You mend them, Carpenter?”
“And by His kind and ready hand, His own sweet life is woven through our broken lives, until they stand a New Creation—“all things new.” The shattered [substance] of [the] heart, desire, ambition, hope, and faith, mold Thou into the perfect part, O, Carpenter of Nazareth!” (George Blair, “The Carpenter of Nazareth”)
Come Unto Christ
In time I may be able to repair my dear wife’s broken pie plate. But it is to God that we must turn to repair our broken hearts. Mortality is not kind, our journey through it will result in many broken things, but fear not, God has the power to fix it all. It is my prayer that we can come unto Christ and let the Carpenter of Nazareth mend our broken things.
