Everything inside the skull, that is,
I seem unable to think, or take action, or do much at all, lately.
I think maybe I'm broken. Aaron F. Stanton, Paralyzed from the Neck Up, from his blog,
Aaron's Random Thoughts www.afstanton.blogspot.com
Aaron's Random Thoughts www.afstanton.blogspot.com
Have you ever felt that way? Paralyzed from the neck up? Broken? Not able to make even the simplest decisions or move forward with your life? Have you ever had the same script play over and over in your head? While you can basically function in your daily activities, every moment of rest which could be used for creativity, refreshment, repose, or other productivity is spent replaying the same script over and over again. Sometimes the details change, sometimes the dialogue changes, but the results are always the same: nothing. You just feel more exhausted and hopeless after every session.Broken people are all around us. You see it in the news everyday, yet some of the most broken and desperate people are those who we come in contact with every day and never realize it. People become pushed to their limits with economic or social issues. Others may be broken by another's careless or thoughtless actions. Sometimes, people become broken by way of their own mistakes or bad decisions. Brokenness happens with tragedy and death. There are many causes for brokenness in people and every person at some point in life feels broken. So what do we do with all the brokenness?
… people change only when they hurt enough that they have to, learn enough that they want to, or receive enough that they are able to.
- Leadership Gold by John C. Maxwell
I write so much about purpose, passion and movement in individual lives because it is so easy to become paralyzed from the neck up. Our bodies, minds, emotions, and spirit were all created for movement and growth. Lack of movement brings about a condition called atrophy which is a partial or complete wasting away of something. If we allow ourselves to atrophy in any area of life for too long, we lose function. Ultimately, if not remedied, the atrophied part of us becomes useless or altogether dies. So, movement is vital to our health and growth. If we become broken in any area, movement is stopped or stalled at best and atrophy has an opportunity to set in. So, what do we need to do?
Identify the Problem and FIX IT!
Face it. Life is complicated at best, and it's certainly not always fair. One of my favorite Saturday Night Live skits was made during the 2008 Presidential campaign/stock market plunge. Politics are hilarious when you see problems with simple solutions being made so complicated by politicians for financial gain or political glory. Our minds are like that sometimes, aren't they? Sometimes we take a problem or situation and make it so complicated that we fail to see the simplicity of a solution. SNL came up with a skit about that very thing that made me laugh out loud. Here is a clip:
More than once I have mentally played that clip/catchphrase in my own head when I recognize that I am “politicizing” some issue of my life that is broken or impossible to resolve. So, let’s take a look at the humorous wisdom in Mr. Keenan’s advice.
If your leg is broken, then it doesn't make sense to rehabilitate your arm. You must first identify your brokenness. Identifying it is key to healing. Is it a bad memory? A broken heart? Death of a loved one? A physical injury that altered your life? Abuse? Addiction? Depression? Identify the source of brokenness.
The goal of rehabilitation for brokenness is restoration to wholeness and independence. The process of physical rehabilitation has three main goals.
In the initial stage of rehabilitation, you are trying to gain as much strength in the broken part as possible. This is usually accomplished through what is known as resistance training and repetition. For actual physical rehabilitation, the connotation is obvious. But in matters of the soul and spirit, resistance training can be as basic as doing the exact opposite of what has kept you paralyzed, as well as doing it as many times as necessary to achieve the results. If you have had some movement/improvement in the area of brokenness, then perhaps you need to increase the ‘weight’ of the resistance in order to create greater results. In either case, please note that resistance training brings with it some pain.
The term kinetic chain is a term used by most sports medicine and exercise science professionals to describe a sequence or a chain of events that take place in order for an athlete perform a specific function. For a pitcher, the sequence of events start from the push off of the rubber on the mound to the follow through where the pitcher rolls off of the mound.
In life, kinetic chains happen daily, usually without us thinking about them. The only time we notice is when we become broken. Perhaps daily activities that once were simple to do become weighty and complicated. Maybe you are unable to handle daily tension or basic pressures the way you used to, and you find yourself with elevated levels of anger or sadness. Whatever it is, rather than disconnecting or isolating your brokenness, you need not only to strengthen the area involved in the break, but incorporate it back into the surrounding areas of your life so that you regain your flexibility and better handle issues as they come up without re-breaking.
Why is flexibility important? Because life will continue happening and if we do not learn to be flexible in times of difficulty – we will continue to break.
The final goal in rehabilitation is to restore the broken part to functionality. It is not a total pass-fail situation. In the area(s) of your life that you begin rehabilitation, keep in mind that if you have more than one area affected, you should fix one area at a time, then move on to the next, with the goal of restoring each broken area to optimal functionality.
Christianity offers a wonderful paradox with regard to brokenness. In life, there are no quick fixes for deeply ingrained injuries of the soul. For both Christians and non-Christians, being caught in a cycle of fear, guilt, anger, shame, unforgiveness, regret or abuse can make simply getting through each day a tedious exercise in grace.
However, there is a certain ethereal beauty in brokenness. It is only when we come to terms with our brokenness that we finally surrender to the healing available to us through faith in God. The beauty is present not so much in the brokenness itself, as in that it finds its home in the process of surrender.
In a physical break, if you just cover/wrap it up, it will never heal properly. However, if you take the time and surrender to the process of pain to fix it properly, it can be functional again. The same is true for the soul. The only One qualified to fix the soul is the One who made it - God. If you know the gospel story, then you know that Jesus fully understands brokenness. The concept of a broken, bleeding Savior is beautiful only to the believing enlightened soul who understands the power and purpose of the brokenness of Christ. He now lives to help you with yours.
Only a person who has experienced brokenness may truly offer genuine comfort, affirmation, hope, understanding, compassion, and, as St. Augustine put it, restore to health the eye of the heart whereby God might be seen. It is only in the depths of our pain that we become awakened to the heights of God’s grace and mercy. If brokenness served only to bring us a clearer view of God’s love, it would be enough. Yet it goes beyond that into making us people that God can use to bring hope and healing to others.
Brokenness is never wasted when your faith and trust are placed in God through Christ Jesus.
If you feel like the gentleman who wrote in the opening quote, or have said to yourself recently I think maybe I’m broken, the analogy above will give you some practical steps to rehabilitating your area of brokenness. May I encourage you to go one step further in that process and surrender your brokenness to God and trust Him with your pain.
More than once I have mentally played that clip/catchphrase in my own head when I recognize that I am “politicizing” some issue of my life that is broken or impossible to resolve. So, let’s take a look at the humorous wisdom in Mr. Keenan’s advice.
Step One: Identify the Brokenness.
If your leg is broken, then it doesn't make sense to rehabilitate your arm. You must first identify your brokenness. Identifying it is key to healing. Is it a bad memory? A broken heart? Death of a loved one? A physical injury that altered your life? Abuse? Addiction? Depression? Identify the source of brokenness.
Step Two: Fix It!
The goal of rehabilitation for brokenness is restoration to wholeness and independence. The process of physical rehabilitation has three main goals.
1. Strengthening
Without proper strengthening, the end result of rehabilitation may be limping or the need to use a crutch.
In the initial stage of rehabilitation, you are trying to gain as much strength in the broken part as possible. This is usually accomplished through what is known as resistance training and repetition. For actual physical rehabilitation, the connotation is obvious. But in matters of the soul and spirit, resistance training can be as basic as doing the exact opposite of what has kept you paralyzed, as well as doing it as many times as necessary to achieve the results. If you have had some movement/improvement in the area of brokenness, then perhaps you need to increase the ‘weight’ of the resistance in order to create greater results. In either case, please note that resistance training brings with it some pain.
- Perhaps it is making that conscious effort to forgive– whether it is yourself for a wrong you have done or someone else for wrong that was done to you.
- Perhaps it is letting go of some one or some thing that keeps re-injuring you.
- If you have not properly grieved a death or tragedy, you will need to resist the denial or avoidance that has kept you broken and walk through the remaining stages of grief.
2. Flexibility
Flexibility must be fostered in the surrounding areas of the brokenness to avoid unwanted tensions and to allow the broken part to
perform/function properly.
The term kinetic chain is a term used by most sports medicine and exercise science professionals to describe a sequence or a chain of events that take place in order for an athlete perform a specific function. For a pitcher, the sequence of events start from the push off of the rubber on the mound to the follow through where the pitcher rolls off of the mound.
In life, kinetic chains happen daily, usually without us thinking about them. The only time we notice is when we become broken. Perhaps daily activities that once were simple to do become weighty and complicated. Maybe you are unable to handle daily tension or basic pressures the way you used to, and you find yourself with elevated levels of anger or sadness. Whatever it is, rather than disconnecting or isolating your brokenness, you need not only to strengthen the area involved in the break, but incorporate it back into the surrounding areas of your life so that you regain your flexibility and better handle issues as they come up without re-breaking.
Why is flexibility important? Because life will continue happening and if we do not learn to be flexible in times of difficulty – we will continue to break.
3. Functionality
With any injury, scar tissue may be present. This may increase the risk for inflammation later down the road. Proper rehabilitation minimizes inflammatory effects of brokenness.
The final goal in rehabilitation is to restore the broken part to functionality. It is not a total pass-fail situation. In the area(s) of your life that you begin rehabilitation, keep in mind that if you have more than one area affected, you should fix one area at a time, then move on to the next, with the goal of restoring each broken area to optimal functionality.
The Paradox of Brokenness
Christianity offers a wonderful paradox with regard to brokenness. In life, there are no quick fixes for deeply ingrained injuries of the soul. For both Christians and non-Christians, being caught in a cycle of fear, guilt, anger, shame, unforgiveness, regret or abuse can make simply getting through each day a tedious exercise in grace.
However, there is a certain ethereal beauty in brokenness. It is only when we come to terms with our brokenness that we finally surrender to the healing available to us through faith in God. The beauty is present not so much in the brokenness itself, as in that it finds its home in the process of surrender.
In a physical break, if you just cover/wrap it up, it will never heal properly. However, if you take the time and surrender to the process of pain to fix it properly, it can be functional again. The same is true for the soul. The only One qualified to fix the soul is the One who made it - God. If you know the gospel story, then you know that Jesus fully understands brokenness. The concept of a broken, bleeding Savior is beautiful only to the believing enlightened soul who understands the power and purpose of the brokenness of Christ. He now lives to help you with yours.
Only a person who has experienced brokenness may truly offer genuine comfort, affirmation, hope, understanding, compassion, and, as St. Augustine put it, restore to health the eye of the heart whereby God might be seen. It is only in the depths of our pain that we become awakened to the heights of God’s grace and mercy. If brokenness served only to bring us a clearer view of God’s love, it would be enough. Yet it goes beyond that into making us people that God can use to bring hope and healing to others.
Brokenness is never wasted when your faith and trust are placed in God through Christ Jesus.
If you feel like the gentleman who wrote in the opening quote, or have said to yourself recently I think maybe I’m broken, the analogy above will give you some practical steps to rehabilitating your area of brokenness. May I encourage you to go one step further in that process and surrender your brokenness to God and trust Him with your pain.
He gives beauty for ashes, strength for fear;
Gladness for mourning, and peace for despair.
Based on Isaiah 61:3
How strange to see a post of mine referenced! :)
ReplyDelete