03 Jun 05 Beautiful But Broken

My friend Danny Mann writes a weekly column for the Valley Morning Star, the daily newspaper in Harlingen, Texas. He sends me his articles each week for comments and input. I usually respond with “I wish I had written that!” Here is his column for this week:

I was sitting in one of the back rooms watching golf. It was a Sunday afternoon, blazing hot and wildly windy. Tiger and some other professional golfer were tied for the lead. It was gearing up to be a close finish, a real nail-biter – if those words can be used to describe a golf tournament on TV.

The tension built as the leaders walked defiantly up the 18th fairway, still tied. Would one of them make a miraculous shot and win it all? Would one of them blow it, finding a watery grave in the pond that fronted the green? Would there be a playoff? Exciting stuff! I was on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next.

I was sitting by a huge picture window. Just as the last putt was being struck, the window shattered. There was a loud POP! and it fragmented into thousands of pieces. I don’t know if it was the heat that caused it to explode – or maybe the house shifted a little – but whatever the cause, a nice big picture window was ruined.

After I finished having a minor heart attack, I got up to inspect the damage. Odd enough that it shattered while I was sitting there. But odder still was the fact that it stayed in its frame. You’d think it would shatter and fall to the ground, but it didn’t. I shook my head and wondered what it was going to cost to replace such a large pane of glass. What a headache!

A few days later, before we had a chance to replace the window, a buddy from Dallas came to town on business. We put him in that back room. It’s private and quiet back there, when windows aren’t exploding. As he was settling in, he pulled back the drapes and saw the shattered window.

“This is beautiful,” he said. He didn’t realize it was broken. I looked at it, looked at him and said, “It may look beautiful to you. But it looks broken to me.” “Oh,” he said. “Broken, huh? Well, I guess it’s both – beautiful and broken.” And I must admit, I think he was right.

Remember the story of Adam and Eve? God placed them in paradise and told them what he wanted them to do. They decided they would ignore God’s wishes and do their own thing – and sin came into the world. As God was describing the consequences of their sin, he said, “Cursed is the ground because of you.” That’s Bible speak for, “Adam and Eve, your sin has broken the world.”

That which had been perfect was perfect no longer. Where there had been roses, there would be thorns. Where there had been sunny skies, there would be storms. Where there had been peace, there would be war. Where there had been health, there would be disease. Where there had been life, there would be death. What a terrible, awesome thought. Sin broke the world.

It’s still broken today.

Sometimes, for a little while, I forget that I’m living in a broken world. I go to the beach, travel to the mountains, watch a spectacular sunset, and all I see is beauty. But then my phone rings and cancer has struck again. I watch the news and the men and women are still dying in Iraq. I have lunch with a friend and discover another marriage is on the rocks or another kid is in trouble – and then I remember. The world – it’s beautiful, but broken.

So what are the ramifications of living in a beautiful but broken world? Can we fix it, make it better? How does broken-world living affect our work, our families, our relationship with God?

Over the next few weeks, we’ll explore what it means to live broken- world lives. This is important stuff. We better have a plan. Our expectations better be realistic - because we’re all in the same boat. Or should I say, in the same world - a world that’s beautiful but broken.

I’m looking forward to your thoughts. Have a good weekend.