Changing Our World…Defective/Ruined
Last night, I was reading Augusten Burroughs book “Possible Side Effects” and came across a passage that reminded me of the “God-shaped hole” inside each of us. Now, Augusten wouldn’t exactly qualify as a Bible-believing Christian…but, I do think this paragraph sheds a light on how many people feel…broken, defective, ruined. And, many search for a reason…coming up empty. Many search for ways to fulfill their broken state. And, many continue to come up empty. I’ve found that it’s often the feelings of brokenness, of being defective or ruined that lead many to seek out God…to take a leap of faith to find the only true fulfillment in Him.
“I had decided that I loved Dr. Ledford and that I wanted to see her constantly. For reasons I did not understand, I felt related to her. When she described her accident and the fire and her ugly face, I felt she was describing me. Even though I wasn’t burned. For some reason, I felt like I was the same. And suddenly, I liked her face very much. And I almost wished I had the same face. Because then I would have a reason for feeling the way that I always felt: defective. So if I looked ruined on the outside, at least I would know why I felt ruined.”
In the church, we relate this ruined state to sin. It is our sin that makes us feel defective. And, in the church, instead of finding peace in others that are ruined…we find our peace in the Jesus Christ, the one that perfects our defective nature.