Witnessing Brokenness

He who does not weep, does not see.

-Les Miserables

Do the struggles of this life ever bring you to tears? There are moments that I can't help but weep for the broken hearts, messed up lives, and chaos in which we live. 

The past three days I've indirectly witnessed the extreme brokenness of this world-that, this evening, has brought me to tears. Tears not for me or my individual circumstances (which are actually quite great), but for the stronghold that sin has on our world-and our relationships. 

Specifically, I heard two separate stories of marriages ruined by infidelity--marriages that are only a few years old. One couple is in the early stages-the other spouse may not even know. The second couple is past the infidelity and on their way to a divorce. The scorned spouse now making decisions that will likely scar her for years to come. This morning at the Vineyard, I heard an inspiring, amazing guest speaker talk about her ministry to orphans internationally. She told one story of a 15 year old girl who was traded by her uncle to pay off financial debts.   The girl was sexually violated over 200 times by the creditor; eventually bearing a child who she was never allowed to see, until by literally a miracle of God, the baby was adopted by another family. 

The thing is-these stories aren't rare. They are the norm. And instead of trying to understand the greatness of this brokenness, I so often choose to simply close my eyes. To avoid it. To focus completely on myself. 

And while I don't think we should dwell on the universality of pain in this world; I think when we close our eyes to the injustices we can so easily see, we are choosing to be unavailable to God. Because when you really see the injustice and pain of people living on this Earth, why wouldn't you want to do anything God would empower you to do to heal and offer hope to those struggling? 

I believe God wants to bless this world, to bless His creation. And I believe we can take part in that by simply opening our eyes, and really seeing and feeling for the broken lives in this world.