Staying Strong When You Feel Broken

Photo by Naassom Azevedo on Unsplash

Unlike their civilian counterparts, first responders face several challenges. Daily they deal with death, trauma, danger, pure evil, and betrayal, leading them to physical, mental, and spiritual stress. As a result, our responders are susceptible to anger, depression, burnout, anxiety, fear, worry, and a host of other emotional problems. They become hopeless, unhappy, and feel useless. They question the meaning of life; they doubt their spiritual beliefs wondering why God had abandoned them. Spiritually they become distressed and can no longer find peace, comfort, strength, or connection in life. Our first responder has hit “rock bottom,” has fallen into the “darkness,” and feels “broken.”

Lie number one you’re supposed to have it all together
And when they ask how you’re doing
Just smile and tell them, “Never better”
Lie number 2 everybody’s life is perfect except yours
So keep your messes and your wounds
And your secrets safe with you behind closed doors

Being the first verse to the song “Truth Be Told,” written and performed by Christian artist Matthew West, this song could very well be the theme song for first responders.
Click here to see the music video

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Psalm 147:3 NIV

Being a popular and trending word in secular and Christian circles, “brokenness” can take several meanings. It can be a physical weakness, a breakup of a relationship, emotional overload, or spiritual discontent. Being a state of surrender and defeat, brokenness brings hardship and darkness to our relatively easy, disappointment-free life.

In our world, broken things are despised; they are no longer needed, they are rejected and thrown out. This includes people. It is a world full of broken hearts, broken relationships, and broken spirits. Sometimes brokenness before God is the result of sin, our own sin, or someone else’s. And other times, it is the result of circumstances. No one enjoys the feeling of brokenness, but the powerful benefits it brings to our spiritual growth are immense.^[1]

Our song tells us how we react to our perceived brokenness; we give the generic answer; I’m ok, I’m good, I’m hanging in there. But, in reality, we are torn up inside; we are trying to process the last call we were on, dealing with family issues and those suppressed emotions we have that are trying to break out. We are stressed out, burnt out, tired, and defeated.

We can function while being broken, just not to our potential. God created us to be productive, not average; he created us to fit into His bigger plan. Of course, life is hard, but it is good. If we feel broken, then we are defeated, the Bible tells us:

1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:1-4 NIV)

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Not being pleasant, we cannot run or hide from our problems. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3 NIV). Faith in Jesus Christ puts us on the road to victory, showing us that brokenness is a blessing.

Brokenness, in His eyes, is to be broken, crushed, and torn in spirit over sin.^[2] Because of the sins of Adam and Eve, we were born into brokenness, our relationship with God was severed, and victory was taken from us.

Broken people are more likely to pray and listen to God, and God uses this opportunity to show us our flaws and weaknesses, leading us on our path to spiritual victory.

God uses brokenness in our lives not as punishment but as a tool to bring us back to Him. He brings us humility, repentance, and healing. Because we were born to sin, God uses our brokenness to bring us a life of joy, peace, and true freedom.

As our song continues, the chorus tells us:

Truth be told
The truth is rarely told, now
I say I’m fine, yeah I’m fine oh I’m fine, hey I’m fine but I’m not
I’m broken
And when it’s out of control I say it’s under control but it’s not
And you know it
I don’t know why it’s so hard to admit it
When being honest is the only way to fix it
There’s no failure, no fall
There’s no sin you don’t already know
So let the truth be told

Truth is:

Those who are “In Christ” are not broken. Christ makes all things new. We are entirely dependent on God because of our frailty, but we are complete in Him to do the work He has called us to. Stop acting broken and lean into the One who made you whole! (Jeremy Stalnecker – CEO Mighty Oaks Foundation)

As First Responders, we took an oath to protect good and fight evil. Unfortunately, many have lost track of their priorities and have put the job first in their lives. If you are experiencing lower than usual sense of self-worth, depression or misplaced guilt, inability to specifically remember or talk about the trauma, feeling numb emotionally, dissociation (not aware of the present moment), a feeling of disconnection from their everyday lives, feeling hyper-aroused and vigilant for danger all the time, lashing out in irritability or unexplained anger, feeling jittery, or unable to concentrate on tasks at hand or other anxiety disorders, such as panic or intense distress, talk to someone and get help. Get back to the basics. Put God First, Family Second, and the job further down in the order.

IF YOU HAVE THOUGHTS OF SUICIDE GET HELP NOW

Law Enforcement Copline (800) 267-5463

Firefighters / Medics Fire/EMS HELPLINE (800) 731-FIRE (3473)