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Compassion, Brokenness, and the Lies We Believe About Ourselves

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Brokenness Was Not An Option

I clearly remember as a child going into a neighbor’s attic while my mother and the neighbor talked in the living room of the neighbor’s home. It’s for sure, they had given me permission to climb the stairs and entertain myself, poking around in whatever I found up there. Brokenness was not one of the options that I anticipated as I went along my merry way. 

The attic offered me an adventure, but I couldn’t go any further than the top of the stairs because there, on the landing to my left, was a small dog. Its leg was broken off. Didn’t matter that is was only a plaster dog.

At that moment, all I knew was that something had to be done to fix the brokenness. A Band-Aid was not going to help.

Brokenness Stopped Me In My Tracks

My brothers and I had a real dog that was healthy and whole. The plaster dog at the top of my neighbor’s staircase was not whole and certainly not healthy. Its brokenness stopped me in my tracks.

I’m a dog lover, and I was a dog lover back then. So I tried to make my brain come up with a solution for a dog without a leg. There was none.

Brokenness Comes in Many Forms

Sometimes when I see a beggar on a street corner I have the same reaction. It’s the one I had as a child—a desire to fix the brokenness. And ever since I’ve devoted a good bit of time to learn about human trafficking, I’ve wanted to lend a helping hand to fix the problem that evil causes.

One of the underlying issues in human trafficking is an individual’s low self esteem. It makes him or her exceedingly vulnerable.

Does Someone You Love Need Help?

Brokenness comes in many forms. So does bondage. Believing lies about ourselves, whether those lies come out of low self-esteem or are impressed on us by someone else, they are a form of bondage and have the potential to keep us trapped.

Targeting Bondage Issues

Sometimes lies are about who we are. Maybe more specifically, who we are not. Lack of self-esteem is a form of brokenness, and vulnerabilities often stem from lies. Bullying is grounded in lies. A bully gains momentum through the use of lies. 

I’m involved in targeting bondage issues because I hate lies. Lies misinform. Lies are powerful. They are like traps that have become rusted shut, unable to be pried open. But God has an answer for self-esteem. We are made in his image.

See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God, and such we are. –  1 John 3:1

As an average person with a deep sense of compassion, I look the Heavenly Father to help me reach out to those who are experiencing brokennenss. God can fix brokenness.

As you go about your day, try applying this quote from Dr.Kevin Elka: “Treat everyone like that person is hurting, and you won’t miss by much.”

Helpful resources:

Raising Low Self Esteem by Dr. Chris Williams 

https://www.selecthealthymind.co.uk/self_esteem.html

Troubled Teen Warning Signs outlined by Crosswinds Organization

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