Broken Crayons

“We are all a little broken. But last time I checked, broken crayons still color the same.” Trent Shelton

Having something of value break is quite a familiar experience to many. Whether it’s a broken plate, an iPhone screen, an umbrella or a broken “self.” Anything that is broken is rarely suited to fulfill its function. Out of habit, that broken item is often discarded.

Growing up as child, I always desired to have WHOLE crayons. If I had a broken one I would throw it away because it seemed useless to me. And sometimes, the OCD-perfectionist in me, would even consider throwing away the whole box because one little old crayon was broken. What conditions us to throw away something when it is damaged? Perhaps, we view broken things as useless. It could be that broken things can be hazardous, like glass. Or maybe it is because that item can be replaced.

Now, this raises another observation; what happens when we have an item that is broken but useful? Or when it cannot be replaced because no amount of money can ever repair it? But what happens when that thing is our heart? Sadly, people discard it too. They get rid of it the same way they would a broken umbrella. How? By vowing never to love again. By being bitter. Or by refusing to move forward.

I’ve witnessed people with broken iPhone screen, I’m not talking about the ones with just a few cracks. I’m talking about the ones that are completely broken to the point where it is quite difficult to read the messages. And yet, they don’t throw it away. Why it is that we are so prone to throw away anything that is broken and yet we keep a phone with a shattered screen? The reason is this; a shattered screen doesn’t determine the value of the phone. Especially when we paid $800 American dollars for this phone. And I’m sure we not going to let a broken screen determine our phone’s value. We will use the phone with the shattered screen until we can afford to get it repaired. Like the iPhone, we shouldn’t throw our hearts away we just need to get it fixed.

Shelton’s quote hits me hard because it disclosed a secret that I’ve been keeping from myself. I was BROKEN! I was not cracked or chipped. I was broken, shattered into many pieces. I had a tough childhood. I was considered a geek. I never fit in. I was bullied from elementary school all the way to high school. I used to be called some awful names. I had a broken heart that wouldn’t allow me to love and forgive. This, brokenness brought into existence a burden that now left me continually EMPTY. My way of thinking was this; anything empty that was designed to be full is meaningless. Therefore I was subconsciously discarded. Unbeknownst to me, as shattered as I was; I was repairable.

I’m certain that I’m not the only woman that feels like this. A vast majority of traumatized and abused women have lived life insignificantly. Their predators, pains, and problems have marginalized them. Now they have lost their purpose. They have even allowed society to define the value of their existence. I want you to remember this, yes, You; your brokenness doesn’t determine your worth.

Maybe you’ve been dumped, divorced, abandoned or raped. You are broken but you are not barren. You are empty but not insignificant. Whether you’re cracked, crushed, or shattered, you can carry out your purpose. Your brokenness doesn’t bind your strength. Repairing and using something broken signifies that it is too valuable to throw away. You, my dear friends are very precious and priceless. Christ died for you.

As this quote made me reflect on my journey, I hope my story inspires you to let go of your broken past. Don’t settle your mind on your brokenness. You are repairable. Just like Shelton’s quote was an awakening shout for me, “There is still purpose in you.” I hope it does the same for you.

#BrokenCrayonsAreStillUseful

 

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Thank you for reading.
Ciao!